The Light The Dark and The Grey
by E. Inkfeather
Summary: The Kaiburr Crystal threatens to destroy the Rebellion in the hands of the Emperor. Han, Leia and Luke must go on a mission to find it before the him; the only person who knows the Crystal's location: a devious Sith apprentice who is not who they seem to be. Tensions rise as Luke falls within the grip of the dark side resulting in an impossible decision: the light or the dark.
1. Mission

***DISCLAIMER***

**I do not own Star Wars, all rights go to LucasFilm and any other associated parties.**

**I only own the character of 'Inari Obscuro' and the plot of this story.**

Luke Skywalker had been sitting in a Rebellion progress meeting for the past two hours… and he was very bored. So far the only item Luke had found remotely interesting was Han's new updates to the Millennium Falcon to enhance speed and manoeuvrability. But then again, updates like these happened every other day so they couldn't exactly be considered 'news'. At the moment, Princess Leia Organa, Luke's companion on most of his quests and friend was giving an incredibly dreary debrief on the last mission. Luke hadn't even known the mission had been arranged let alone carried out and it's participants returned. That just showed how much attention Luke payed to the more logistical and statistical part of the Rebellion. He was much more interested in flying and demonstrating his rather formidable skills as a Jedi.

Luke propped up his chin using his elbow on the desk and stared, unseeing, past Leia; completely tuning out her clipped tones and Mon Mothma's drone which sounded at intervals in Leia's report.

_Han is so lucky_, thought Luke. Han never had to go to meeting and sit through hour after hour of pointless information that was seldom worthwhile hearing. Even if Han did have to put in an appearance, it was only at Battle Plan meetings and even then he would only stay for about five minutes; just long enough to hear the basics of the plan before he was off to summon Chewbacca and prep the Millennium Falcon for battle.

_This is painful_, thought Luke. He would much rather be down in the training centre in the flight simulator or with some of the old Clone Wars battle droids that the centre was kitted out with. They weren't exactly difficult to defeat, not by a long shot, but at least fighting them would be more interesting than hearing about how intel hand found that Darth Vader was right-handed. _Fighting Darth Vader would be easier than sitting through this_, Luke muttered inwardly. _I think I've read instruction manuals more interesting._

Luke gazed at Leia absent-mindedly. _I wonder if it is particularly difficult for her to get her hair into those buns on the sides of her head. It must take her ages… and a lot of hair pins. How do I even know what hair pins are? I barely even brush my hair. I wonder if Chewie has to brush his fur. He has an awful lot of it; that would take ages too. Maybe Leia and Chewie can do _each other's_ hair…_

"… Luke? "asked Leia.

"Huh?" replied Luke unintelligently. Leia's question had pulled Luke out of his bizarre day dream and now she stood before him, hands on hips and glaring. Luke had no idea what the question was. In fact, he had no idea about anything that had been said in the last five minutes. He may as well have been asleep. _Maybe I was asleep_, he thought. In that case, he was in major trouble.

"Luke," repeated Leia with a little more forcefulness. "Will you do it?"

Luke knew there was no getting out of asking the question,

"I'm sorry, can you repeat what you said?"

Leia grimaced, spun on her heel and marched back to the holographic projector in the middle of the room.

"Give me strength." She muttered as she turned on the projector _again_ and bought up the image she needed. It was an image of a small, diamond shaped crystal that was coloured a bright, glowing blue.

"This is the Kaiburr Crystal," began Leia. "It is a very old artifact and more powerful than most people can fathom. It can only be used by a Force user with a very strong connection to and in depth understanding of said Force. Intel has told us that the Emperor has a plan to find and use the Crystal to destroy the Rebellion in one very short battle; and that would be _bad._" She said, looking Luke right in the eyes to make sure he was understanding the parameters of the situation. Luke rolled his eyes.

"Alright, where do I come in?" he asked.

"Myself, you, Han and Chewie are to go on a mission of great importance to find and retrieve the Kaiburr Crystal before the Emperor can. That way he can't use it to completely obliterate us which, in case I needed to reiterate: would be _BAD." _Leia finished with a rather large note of sarcasm.

"Okay," said Luke. "When do we leave?"

Leia stared at him. Luke stared back with a growing look of confusion on his face. They remained like this for another few seconds before finally Luke said,

"What?"

Leia shook her head placed her hand on her forehead in despair.

"And how do you think we are going to find the Crystal, Luke? Considering none of us know where it is, unless you have an in depth knowledge of ancient artifacts you haven't been telling me about?"

Luke folded his arms lent back in his chair, half annoyed that he hadn't thought of that, half annoyed that Leia had made such a big deal out of it.

"Okay," he said finally. "How do we find it?"

Leia turned back to the projector whilst saying,

"Three days ago, a patrol captured a small interplanetary speeder in the air space above our base. Under interrogation, the pilot revealed themselves to be a Sith apprentice." She turned to face Luke. "A Sith apprentice that just so happens to know where to find the Kaiburr Crystal. They agreed to take us to it in return for their freedom."

At the words, 'Sith apprentice', Luke's expression hardened. After two Sith had taken over his galaxy, brutally murdered some of his friends and allies, he couldn't exactly consider himself one of the Sith's biggest fans.

"No way," said Luke strongly. "We can't trust him to lead us to the Kaiburr Crystal. He will probably just lead us straight back to his master. How do you know he even really know were the Crystal is? He's a Sith, he's lying. It's what they do. Please Leia, trust me on this: we can't trust a Sith to help us. They only serve themselves."

"I understand your concerns but Luke; right now they are the only chance we have at stopping the Emperor from destroying us entirely. Either we trust them or we blunder around the galaxy looking for something that is smaller than the palm of my hand. We don't have any other options. If we did then that is what we would be doing. We don't have a choice, Luke."

Luke said nothing. His ominous expression spoke volumes.

"Come on, Luke. We're meeting the apprentice in the spacecraft hanger. Han has already prepped the ship." Leia started moving towards the door and Luke followed reluctantly. "Oh, and Luke?" Leia said. "The apprentice is a 'she'."


	2. Lunatic

Luke follow Leia to the hanger where Han and Chewie were waiting for them with the Millennium Falcon behind them in all her patchwork glory. Han had done so many modifications to her, given her so many updates that Luke was surprised that there was any of the original ship left.

"S'about time you got here," called Han. "I was starting to think the mission had been cancelled and no one had told me."

"Is the ship ready, Han?" asked Leia, getting straight down to business.

"Well hello to you too," said Han sarcastically. "And yeah, she's already for you Princess." He activated the drop-down sloping panel that served as the Falcon's entrance and started up the ramp.

"I think your forgetting our guide, Han." said Leia. Han and Luke grimaced.

"I knew I wouldn't be the only one who thinks trusting a Sith is totally crazy, Kid." Han said to Luke. Luke nodded and was about to say something when the sharp hiss of hydraulic mechanics cut him off. In the centre of the large room, two metal panels in the floor slid apart of between them rose a platform and upon the platform stood a girl about the same age as Luke and Leia. She was dressed all in dark colours, mostly black but she wore distinctive dull, cobalt blue armour on her shoulders, chest, outer thighs and knees. She also wore a black utility belt, sturdy-looking black boots that came to her knees, a black fingerless glove on her left hand and a normal black glove on her right. She had fair skin, dark hair and striking dark green eyes that stared at Luke to the point when he started to feel quite uncomfortable. The thing she wore that didn't seem to be part of her usual attire was a pair of metal bands, one on each wrist, which projected a dome of energy around each of her hands as well as gluing her wrists together. This meant her hands were totally incapacitated. Luke knew what the bands were for. They were Energy-cancelling Cuffs. Not only did they act as simple hand-cuffs, making it impossible for her to use her hands, they also stopped her from creating any sort of energy field around them meaning there was no chance she could conjure Sith Lightning, which she had undoubtedly learnt to do.

"I didn't know there would be a Jedi on this mission." The Sith said silkily. She had a strange accent. It was clipped and blunt. "I'm honoured". She smiled at Luke but not friendlily, in fact she looked ready to murder him.

"Alright," said Han. "Pipe down you. Luke, this is our guide. Her name is…"

"I can introduce myself!" She hissed with malice. She looked to Luke and smiled again, slightly less psychopathically this time. "My name is Inari Obscuro and I was wondering," she now ignored Luke and turned to Leia. "Why can't I simply tell you were to find the Kaiburr Crystal instead of taking you there? It is an awfully long and difficult journey and I really must be getting back to my master."

"You mean so you can send us to the furthest corner of the galaxy while you make your escape? Yeah not likely." Said Han.

Inari glared at Han.

"Clever little smuggler, Han Solo." She mocked. Han's eye widened at the mention of his name and questionable profession, neither of which the Sith apprentice should know.

"How'd you…? Nevermind," Han turned to Leia. "Princess, this is crazy. She's gonna get us killed."

Leia placed a soothing hand on Han's arm, something she had never done before but it seemed to have the right effect. Han calmed down a little.

"Han," said Leia. "I know this is crazy but we don't have any other choice. I've had half the Rebellion out looking for leads on the Kaiburr Crystal's location for months and they have found nothing. Right now, she is our only hope." Leia turned to Inari and her expression hardened. "I believe you know the terms of our agreement? You lead us _safely_ to the Kaiburr Crystal and at the moment my team have the crystal in our possession, you are free to go. We won't follow you nor will any other Rebellion ships or personnel".

Inari smiled. "I have agreed to your terms however I refuse to lead you anywhere whilst wearing these." She lifted her wrists to show the Energy-cancelling Cuffs. "The journey to find the Crystal is dangerous and I don't want to be left relying on you to defend me because excuse me but I do not trust any of you. If I am to lead you to the Kaiburr Crystal then I want these cuffs removed and my Light Sabre returned to me.

"And what is from stopping you from leading us into a remote location and fighting your way free?" asked Luke, crossing his arms.

"Don't worry." Said Leia. She drew a small, metal remote out of her pocket and pressed one of three buttons on it. The energy fields around Inari's hands flickered and disappeared. She then pulled Inari's Light Sabre from her own belt and tossed it to Inari.

"Leia," exclaimed Luke, looking at Leia as if she had gone mad. "What are you doing?!"

"Don't worry," said Leia again. "I can reactivate her cuffs in a second so long as those metal bands stay on her wrists and they also have the ability to give quite a powerful electric shock. If she so much as breaths wrong then I can have her out cold on the floor in under a second." She said, half to Luke, half to Inari.

Inari just smiled and flexed her hands. In one hand she created a small amount of searing purple-blue Sith Lightning, allowing it to dance and crackle between her fingers. Suddenly, a green glow lit up her face and she turned her head sharply to find the green blade of Luke's Light Sabre inches away from it. She narrowed her eyes at Luke, staring at him for a second before looking between Luke and Leia and quenched the lightning. The message was clear: if Inari did anything Luke or Leia didn't like, Leia would zap her and Luke would give her an up close and personal presentation of his Light Sabre.

"Understood." She said simply.


	3. Treason

Once they left the atmosphere of space station the Rebel base was currently situated on, Han set the ship to autopilot and reluctantly turned to the Sith apprentice in the seat between Luke and Chewie. Leia had thought it best to put her between the towering Wookie and the nineteen year old armed with a laser sword.

"Okay," said Han. "Where do we go you little psycho?"

Inari narrowed her eyes and glared at Han. It was clear she had taken an immediate dislike to the smuggler.

"Address me properly and then I will answer properly." She ground out.

Han folded his arms.

"Either you tell us where to go, or I ask the darling Princess over there to show you what it's like to be struck by lightning."

At this, the Sith apprentice hissed and blared her teeth, before saying,

"It's not as simple as to just go to the Crystal. The Crystal is kept deep within a Sith temple on Korriban and there is only one way to get into the chamber in which it is kept. You _need_ a key."

"What?!" exclaimed Leia. "You never said anything about having to kind a key!"

"You never asked." Replied Inari coolly. "And it is also not just as simple as to find the key either," she said with a sly smile. "You have to assemble it."

Han groaned and lent back in his chair.

"Are we seriously still trusting her? Seriously?"

"Only choice." Said Leia for the hundredth time. She turned to the Sith again. "Okay, where is the first part of this 'key' then?"

"The royal palace on Naboo." She said. "It's kept in the vaults below the palace and is always given to the new queen on the day of her coronation by the previous queen. It's like a sign of handing over the planet to her."

"Okay, I know for a fact that the Queen of Naboo isn't just going to hand an thing like that straight to us no questions asked and even if we do tell her why we need it, 1. She probably still wouldn't give it to us, 2. she would then know our plans and everyone knows Naboo is extremely loyal to the Emperor because the Emperor is from there so he tends to treat its people quite nicely." Stated Han.

"That's why you will have to steal it." Said Inari simply. "In case you forgot, the Kaiburr Crystal is on the _Sith _home world in a _Sith _temple. Everything that was done to lock up the Crystal was done by a Sith and everything is designed so it can only be retrieved by a Sith. Sith have no issue with stealing from royalty."

"So your saying we have to become Sith to get the Crystal?" asked Han incredulously. "Because I know a certain blonde Jedi that wouldn't be too happy about that."

"No," said Inari. "You just have to think and act like one."

"No." said Luke pointedly. "There is no way we are doing that…"

"What other choice do you have?" Inari cut in. "Unless you want to try the smuggler's brilliant plan? Personally I couldn't care less if your little Rebellion was destroyed so go ahead, try walking in a asking for it."

Leia sighed, seeing once again that they had no choice but to use the Sith's idea.

"Fine." Said Leia shortly. "We steal the part of the key from the palace." She looked to Luke with a little sympathy in her eyes. "If you don't like it then stay with the ship."

However, Luke shook his head.

"Where ever she goes, I go." He stated, looking at Inari.

"I'm flattered." She said with a devilish smile.

"Because I don't trust you." He finished, glaring. "No matter how much I don't like this plan, there is no way I am letting you out of my sight."

"Han," said Leia. "Set a course for Naboo." She then turned to Inari. "Alright, I can't believe I am saying this but how do you suppose we steal this part of the key?"

Inari smiled, obviously happy that she now held the power of knowledge over them.

"There is a small ventilation shaft in the wall of the vault, accessible only from the roof of the lower section of the palace in its North wing. However, the wall between the shaft and the vault is approximately two metres thick and made of dura-concrete reinforced with diamond and no Jedi or Sith can break that kind of material one their own."

"Are you asking for my help?" asked Luke incredulously. Inari narrowed her eyes.

"I thought it would be you asking for mine considering I am under no obligation to help with this mission despite the fact I'm planning it. That wasn't part of our agreement." She looked pointedly at the Princess who sighed.

"Fine." Leia said shortly. "Will you help Luke break the wall?"

Inari smiled.

"Delighted to." She said simply. Luke crossed his arms and grimaced at the thought of having to work with the Sith.

Leia, ignoring Luke's silent protest, asked,

"What's the next part of the plan?"

"Once the Jedi and I have broken down the wall, the Princess will retrieve the relic whilst myself and the Jedi battle the guards that are always stationed inside the vault. There shouldn't be too many of them however if they call reinforcements, that may present a small problem, which is where you come in." She said, looking to Han. "You and your Wookie are to provide a distraction for the guards in the rest of the palace; that way, if the guards in the vault call for reinforcements, the other guards will be too busy dealing with you to come to the vault."

"Are you kidding!" said Han, standing suddenly. "You expect me to provide a distraction for _every_ other guard in that palace? What do you want me to do, blow the place up?!"

"So long as the blast doesn't affect the vault then that distraction would suffice." She replied with a completely straight face.

"We are not blowing up the palace." Leia interjected quickly. The Princess then turned to Han.

"Han, come on. Can't you think of something that would distract them? Your usually so good at being irritating and distracting." She said the last part with a ghost of a smile on her face.

"Hey!" Said Han indignantly. "But fine. I can't believe I'm doing this." He muttered. "And all because a Sith told me to as well." He glared at Inari who simply smiled back.

"How long until we arrive on Naboo?" Leia asked Han.

"About fifteen minutes." Han replied, before going back to mumbling to himself darkly about how a certain Sith apprentice was going to wake up one day with a snitz-weasel in her bed courtesy of a one Han Solo.


	4. Theives

The Smuggler, the Wookie, the Princess, the Jedi and the Sith were all assembled on the roof of the Royal Palace of Naboo. No one except the Sith looked remotely happy about what they are about to do.

"Are we all ready?" Asked Inari politely. For that statement, she received four glares.

"I will take that as a yes." Inari gestured to the floor below them; more specifically, the one metre squared ventilation shaft covered by a metal grate. "This is our point of entry," she began. "Smuggler, go and make yourself useful." Han glared murderously at Inari but said nothing. Instead, he walked to the side of the building and jumped off, his rope pulling taught and the grappling hook attached to one end digging into the metal panel he had attached it to. Chewie followed after, not bothering of course with the rope and harness seeing as he was a Wookie and they had extraordinary climbing abilities.

Luke then used the Force to remove the grate from the ventilation shaft.

"After you." He said to Inari with a small smile. Inari narrowed her eyes at the Jedi but complied just the same. She hopped into the ventilation shaft without a rope to support her as Leia was using, disappearing into the darkness, using the Force to slow her fall. Luke then followed, doing the same. Leia rolled her eyes,

"Show offs." She muttered before swinging her legs over the edge of the shaft, twisting her body so her feet were braced against its metal wall and leaning back into her harness. Slowly, she started to make her way down into the inky blackness.

Luke landed a short time after Inari at the base of the shaft. Apparently, the shaft stayed the same diameter all the way down, though Luke had hoped it would have widened out a little. That meant both Inari and Luke were a little squashed.

"This is cosy." Said Inari sarcastically. Luke grimaced. He hoped Leia would get here soon, however he knew how deep the shaft had been and Leia's less than brilliant climbing skills would mean he and the Sith would be stuck there, awkward and alone for some time. He tried not to think about Inari's body in very close proximity to his own. _Could be worse, I suppose, _he thought. _The Sith could be a Hutt. _The thought of this made him chuckle.

"What's so funny?" asked Inari. Luke shook his head a kept his mouth shut. He had a feeling the girl wouldn't take his thoughts as a compliment and in this small space, he didn't have enough room or manoeuvrability to fight with his Light Sabre, however he knew space would be no object for Inari's Sith Lightning.

A long and uncomfortable silence ensued.

"What's it like to be a Jedi?" Inari said suddenly. This question caught Luke off guard.

"What?"

"What is it like to be a Jedi?" Inari said more slowly. Luke wasn't quite sure how to answer.

"It's, um, good, I guess. We don't kill people unlike some Force users." At that comment, Luke could feel Inari's glare on him.

More silence.

"What's it like to be a Sith?" Luke asked finally.

For a moment, Inari said nothing, then she said,

"It's just like being a Jedi except you are more powerful and you use those powers for different causes."

"And people hate you," said Luke. "Don't forget that part."

"My master says it doesn't matter if people hate you, so long as they fear you." Inari snapped back. More silence followed this statement.

"How do you know you're more powerful than Jedi?" asked Luke, breaking the silence once more. Inari smiled in the dark.

"Because we don't just ally ourselves with the Force as Jedi do; we embrace it, we wield it. We allow it to fill our bodies and make us stronger and more powerful than a Jedi could imagine."

"But it warps your mind and makes you evil." Luke countered.

"Not necessarily. Wielding the power of the dark side doesn't make you evil. When you succumb to the temptations of greed and destruction that the power brings with it; that's what makes you evil. The dark side is not evil, evil is in the hearts of those who wield any kind of power over others. The reason everyone, including Jedi, assume that the dark side is evil is because no one has wielded it yet and resisted using its power to control and destroy; no who has used it has been strong enough."

"But it could be done?" asked Luke, a little too eagerly for his own liking. Inari picked up on this.

"Are you going to try?"

"No." answered Luke immediately, but then he thought for a moment; thinking of what that kind of power could do for the Rebellion. What better way to fight his father than fighting fire with fire, as he had tried using just the light side and that hadn't worked. What if he could use both light and dark. Unite the two sides and bring balance to the Force. He knew it was ambitious. Very ambitious, but he felt he had to try.

"Maybe." He said finally.

Inari laughed.

"Good luck trying to find a Sith willing to teach all of their secrets to a Jedi. You more likely to to be invited round to Jabba the Hutt's for tea."

Inari was right and Luke knew it. Suddenly, he had an idea. It was crazy, just like the rest of his plan that seriously risked turning him to the dark side but the idea of being able to use both sides of the Force captivated him and he was willing to try anything to achieve his goal.

"Will you teach me?" He asked.

Silence. Long, malleable silence.

"You want me to teach you the dark side of the Force?" Inari asked slowly, as if she didn't quite comprehend what she had just heard.

"Please?" asked Luke, against his better judgement. "I'll give you anything you want in return."

Inari laughed again.

"Oh no, don't bother. I'll be getting something out of it anyway. I've almost finished my training so soon my master will be looking for a new apprentice, maybe even one for me. If I teach you something now, I can bring my master back a new apprentice and maybe he will forgive me for allowing myself to be captured."

"What makes you so sure I will be his apprentice?" Luke challenged.

"No one in the history of the galaxy has been able to resist the temptations the dark side presents, though many have tried. I teach you how to use the dark side and you will fall from your Jedi grace. You will willingly come with me and become my master's new apprentice, maybe you'll even become my own. You are not strong enough."

"Yes I am!" said Luke, forcefully.

"Fine," declared Inari. "I will teach you how to use the dark side of the Force and you can try to prove me wrong."

"I will!" Said Luke hotly, not noticing Leia descending gracefully from above.

"What are you two talking about?" she asked. "Never mind, we are running out of time to keep going unnoticed. Eventually someone will notice the Millennium Falcon in the forest." She activated her comms. unit. "Han?" she said. "Han, now would be a good time to start being distracting."

"Got it." Came Han's crackly voice over the communicator.

A few moments later, there was a series of loud bangs and the walls of the vent shuddered.

"I thought I said don't blow the place up!" Leia hissed into the comms. unit.

"Cool down, your Worship," said Han over the communicator. "Only a few small explosive charges placed in a couple of corners. Nothing that will do any major damage or compromise the structure of the building; just enough to be _distracting._"

Leia grimaced and silently swore she would kill Han when she next saw him. Luke chuckled, earning himself a glare from Leia.

"Just breakdown the wall." She snapped. Leia wasn't exactly a huge fan of small spaces and being trapped I one with a dangerous, psychotic Sith and her irritating companion wasn't helping her keep calm.

Luke obliged, placing his hand on the wall, using the Force to feel out for any weaknesses in it, then exploiting them. Inari did the same. Within five minutes, their work was done.

"Why have you stopped?" asked Leia. "The wall is still standing." Luke and Inari smiled then simultaneously each threw a solid punch into the wall. It crumbled into dust and Inari and Luke stepped into the vault through a rather neat hole.

"Show offs." Leia muttered again, before following.


	5. Battle

As Inari had predicted, the vault was full of guardsmen, all armed to the teeth with blasters which they were all too happy to use on the three intruders.

"Leia, get the section of the key," called Luke urgently, pulling his Light Sabre from his belt and igniting it. The emerald green blade hummed to life. "I'll hold them off!"

Luke sprang into action but quickly realised he had a small problem. He didn't want to kill or seriously injure any of the guards, they were just doing their job after all, and he was armed with a very dangerous and equally deadly weapon. He resolved to use the blade only to deflect blaster shots and using the hilt for any physical contact. Inari, however, had no issue with harming the guards and therefore did not adopt this technique.

She slashed and spun her deadly scarlet blade, cutting down anything that got in its way.

"No!" shouted Luke as the Sith was about to deliver a killing blow to a cowering guard. For a moment he lowered his defence and another guard spotted the opening. The guard shot a precise shot straight for Luke's head and it would have hit if something hadn't stopped it. Inari, using Force-enhanced speed leapt in front of Luke, deflecting the shot off the blade of her Light Sabre. Luke blinked. He had just had his life saved… by a Sith?

"Mind you head." Said Inari, before leaping back into battle and for a moment Luke could only watch and marvel. She engaged a rather tall and densely built, trigger happy guard, Light Sabre swinging. She deflected several shots, redirecting one of them so that it hit the guard in the foot. The guard yelled in pain and Inari, using the Force to aid her, landed a clean palm-strike to his chest, blasting him back several metres. However, the guard wasn't done yet; he rose, aiming his blaster one last time at Inari's chest and fired. Inari, faster than lightning, jumped over the shot, simultaneously clearing the distance between herself and the guard and landed a well-placed kick to the man's throat, knocking him over. He lay on the ground, wheezing and dazed.

Inari landed with cat-like grace and smiled at Luke.

"Enjoying the show?" she asked sweetly. Luke flushed red, realising he had been caught staring.

"I got it!" shouted Leia over the chaos. She began to make her way for the hole and the vent, but her way was blocked by a guard with a blaster point straight between Leia's brown eyes.

"I don't think that belongs to you." Rumbled the guard and Leia could see in his eyes, if she didn't give up the object she had stolen, he would not hesitate to shoot her. Luke saw Leia's situation and, abandoning his own battle, rushed to help the Princess.

He leapt at the guard and sliced the blaster clean in two, rendering it useless. He then used his momentum to swing round his Light Sabre with incredible force and hitting the guard on the side of his head with its hilt. The guard crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

Leia stepped over him neatly.

"Thank you." She stated simply, before walking back into the vent with her head held high. Luke smirked and shook his head. He knew how proud Leia was and how she despised being left helpless and relying on others to save her, which was funny, as Luke had thought this was exactly what Princesses were supposed to do. That was, until he met Leia.

Leia reattached herself to her harness.

"Come on," she said with a strong tone of urgency in her voice. "Those guards won't stay down for long."

Though Inari and Luke had successfully incapacitated all the guards, Leia was right: they wouldn't stay like that for much longer. Leia hit the 'retract' button on her harness and shot up the ventilation shaft with Luke and Inari hot on her heels.

Below him, Luke could hear the guards stirring and yelling for reinforcements. As a second thought, he collapsed the hole in the wall so they couldn't be followed. He then ascended after Leia and Inari, using the Force and the walls of the vent to create enough momentum to jump between the two parallel metal walls until he reached the roof.

"Come on," said Leia urgently. "I've told Han to meet us at the Falcon but we don't have much time before the guards find us."

Luke nodded. He waited for Inari to go in front of him.

"After you, Jedi." she said graciously. Luke narrowed his eyes.

"You must think I'm stupid." He said. Inari laughed before lowering her voice and saying,

"You want me to teach you how to use the dark side of the Force; a plan bound to only destroy you. In short, yes, I think you're very stupid."

Luke glanced over at Leia, to be sure she hadn't heard anything. Inari immediately picked up on this.

"But that's our little secret, isn't it?" she said silkily. Luke glared as Inari slipped past him, falling into step behind Leia but still clearly grinning maliciously.

"Our little secret." She sang quietly.


	6. Collaboration

No guards followed them on their journey to Millennium Falcon, however once they arrived there, their pilot was no were to be seen.

"Where's the smuggler?" asked Inari. Leia shook her head.

"I don't know. I told him to meet us back here."

"Maybe he is still being 'distracting'." Suggested Luke. Actually, now Luke listened closely, he was sure he could hear gun fire. "I think Han's in trouble," he said, turning to make his way back through the forest towards the palace. "Leia, stay here. We can't leave the relic here unguarded and it would be mad to take it back with us."

"What about me?" asked Inari smoothly. "You could barely handle the guards in the vault _with_ me there; how do you suppose you will fair without?"

Usually in this situation, Luke's immediate reaction would be, 'no'. However, he had seen Inari fight and as much as he didn't like admitting it, she was good. Deadly good. He also remembered how skilled all the palace guardsmen seemed to be. Luke quickly rationalised that in this instance, the Sith apprentice could make a valuable ally.

"Fine." He relented, regretting his risky decision already. "Leia, get on board the Falcon and prep her for take-off. I have a feeling we will need to make a quick getaway." Leia nodded and began to make her way up the entrance ramp, however she paused for a moment before quickly turning back again.

"Luke?" she called. "Please be careful?"

Luke face shifted to produce a small smile, his heart warmed the parting words of the usually cold and calculating Princess.

"Don't worry, I will." Luke promised, before turning and beginning the short journey back to the palace.

"Alone again." Said Inari, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

Luke ignored her and began to run. The gun shots were getting louder and more frequent and the closer Luke got to the palace, the more certain he became that he could hear Chewie's signature beast-like cry. They were running out of time. The longer they stayed on Naboo, the greater the chance they had of being captured and after that it would only be a short time before they gained themselves a personal audience with the Emperor; one from which Luke doubted they would return. They topped all the 'most wanted' lists in the galaxy; it wouldn't take long for someone recognised them and handed them over to the Imperials.

Suddenly, the palace loomed into view and Luke felt like he was looking at a small war zone. Half the palace was either ablaze or reduced to rubble. The smoke from the fire was so thick it looked like air borne tar; it curled and spiralled up into the sky, dimming the sunlight and making the world seem grey. _If this is what 'only a few small charges' looks like then I'm a Wookie,_ thought Luke, gazing in horror at the carnage Han's 'distraction' had created.

Blaster shots flew in every direction, guardsmen shouted and from somewhere Chewie wailed. Luke didn't even know where to start looking for Han and Chewbacca; the palace was huge and they could be anywhere… or running straight towards them with a small army following them. If the situation hadn't been so dire, Luke would have found Han and Chewie's current predicament rather comical. Han's face was covered in soot, his hair looked like a rodent was curled up on his head and Chewie was smoking from where his fur had been singed by either the fire or blaster shots. In short, they looked a little worse for wear and both wore an expression that would have made Darth Vader collapse in fits of giggles.

"Run!" screeched Han. "Run fast and far!"

The Corellian and the Wookie tore past them, leaving Inari and Luke to deal with the platoon of guards that followed. Like in the vault, Inari and Luke leapt into battle. Luke defended again shots with his blade, using the Force to optimise his speed and strength. He dodged a blaster shot, flipped over the guards head and slammed his feet into the man's back resulting in knocking him flat. Another guard came at him, but Luke was well prepared. He dodged to one side, spotted an opening and landed the hilt of his Light Sabre against the man's side. He heard a sickening crack and Luke knew a rib had been broken. Immediately he felt guilty but he couldn't afford to stop and at least apologise at the risk that he would be quickly incapacitated. Beside him, Inari fought like a demon. Sith fire burned in her eyes as she cut down and scattered guardsmen left and right. They were actually becoming reluctant to engage her as they watched the girl dispatch their comrades with disturbing ease. Her Light Sabre moved so fast, it appeared just as a deadly red blur. She seemed unstoppable.

Then suddenly, Luke and Inari's dynamic changed. They were no longer just fighting together; their movement complimented and served one another, even becoming synchronised at points. The pair whirled and spun in perfect harmony, Luke defending, Inari attacking. It was no surprise that soon there were no longer any guards left to fight. Those would hadn't been defeated by the Force-wielding pair and quickly realised it would be wise to retreat.

"They'll be back soon with reinforcements." Huffed Luke. Now that the battle was over and the adrenaline wearing off, he realised how tired he was. His muscles and limbs ached and his head swam a little. "We need to leave." He said quickly. For once, Inari simply agreed.

"Let's go."


	7. Escape

As Luke had predicted, they did indeed need to make a quick getaway. Reinforcements had arrived sooner than expected and Han had to haphazardly manoeuvre the Falcon between towering trees whilst being shot at by laser cannons and blasters. However, aside from a few scorch marks and the Millennium Falcon being in need of a new paint job, surprisingly they escape relatively unscathed.

"Here it is." Said Leia, presenting the artefact they had just risked their lives for and holding it carefully. Luke picked it up and examined it. It looked like half a hexagon with spokes leading from the inner corners of the hexagon and joining in the middle. It was made of a jet black and seamless metal, with half a circular red gem in the middle were the spokes converged. As soon as Luke's hands touched it, he sensed the dark energy emanating from the relic. He felt like he was holding a vast amount of liquid fire in a shallow container; he had to handle it very carefully, very cautiously. One wrong move and liquid fire would spill everywhere, burning and destroying whatever it touched. Very gently, he placed it back in Leia's hands, not wanting to touch it for a moment longer.

"Scared, Jedi?" asked Inari with a dangerous smile on her face. "You should be. That relic and its partner were forged on Korriban by one of the original and most powerful Sith Lords, Darth Revan. He had to kill ten other Sith Lords and bathe the Crystal in their blood to give it its power."

Involuntarily, Luke shuddered and eyed the artefact warily. But to Inari, he said calmly,

"The dark side does not scare me."

Inari understood the underlying message. Their deal was still on: Inari would teach Luke some knowledge of the dark side of the force. However, the more Luke thought about it, the more he felt it was a bad idea. Was it too much of a risk? What would Obi Wan say? What if the knowledge he acquired turned him to the dark side? These questions swirled around Luke's head, gathering into a maelstrom that threatened to tear up his mind from the inside.

"Hey, sorry guys," said Han suddenly. "We need to make a quick pit stop before we get the second part of that key."

"What? Why?" Leia exclaimed.

"It's the hyperdrive." Said Han. "I think one of those blaster shots hit a fuel line or somethin'." He began flicking various switches on the dashboard in futility. "We can't make the jump to hyperspace without the hyperdrive working and that's not a risk I'm willing to take with the entire Empire on our tails. I ain't going anywhere without an escape plan if we bump into a star destroyer."

Leia sighed and nodded; as much as she didn't want to admit: the smuggler was right.

"Okay, were can we go so you can make so repairs?"

"The closest two planets are…" Han flicked a few switches and bought a holographic map. "Geonosis and Tattooine."

"Go to Tattooine." Interjected Luke. "There's plenty of places to fix the Falcon there, especially in Mos Eisley."

Han nodded. "Okay. Yeah, Tattooine will work. The repairs will take me and Chewie about three hours depending on how quick we can get some parts so you guys will have to entertain yourselves for that long cuz we ain't goin' nowhere with a broken hyperdrive.

"Fine," said Leia. "But we need to be fast, the longer we spend not looking for the Crystal, the more chance the Emperor will find it before us."

"And that would be _bad._" Finished Luke with a cheeky smile. Leia scowled.

"Han, get us to Tattoine. As fast as you can." She said.

Half an hour later, the Millennium Falcon landed on the dusty, arid ground of Tattooine. The planets twin suns beat down on the ship, heating its metal exterior to burning temperatures.

"So whose gonna watch the little psycho whilst me and Chewie go get parts? Asked Han, once everyone was standing outside the Falcon in the uncomfortable heat.

"Well I'm coming with you." Said Leia.

"You just can't resist following me, can you Princess?" Said Han with a charming smile. Leia glared.

"Because we can't afford to waste time! I don't want you being pulled into a gambling game."

"Hey! I'll have you know I won a ship in the last gambling game I got pulled into!

Leia turned on her heel and began to walk towards Mos Eisley. "Next time try winning a ship that doesn't break!" she called back, a hint of laughter in her voice.

Han spluttered and ran to catch up with the Princess with the intent to call the Princess something rude; he just hadn't thought of it yet. Chewie chuckled and followed.

"So I guess that means you're watching me." Said Inari.

"Yeah, I guess it does." Replied Luke. The Sith smirked at what he had said. "Oh, uh," Luke flushed deep pink. "I mean I won't be watching you… like that. I will keep an eye on you." Inari laughed even more. Luke's face blushed brighter. "No, I mean, I… uh…" He spluttered, his face growing redder by the second.

Inari's bell-like laughter floated after her as she walked back aboard the Falcon, her dark hair swishing behind her. Luke was both annoyed and ashamed that the Sith apprentice could slip her way into his head so easily. He followed her back onto the Millennium Falcon, still blushing furiously.


	8. Lightning

When Luke entered the main hold of the ship, he was met with an unusual sight. Inari was sitting cross-legged in the centre of the room, her hands on her knees and eyes closed.

"Sit down." She ordered. There was no question in her tone; this was a command.

"What are we doing?" asked Luke, not moving. Inari's eyes snapped open and she glared at Luke.

"You said you wanted me to teach you? Then obey you're teacher: sit down." She growled.

Hesitantly, Luke complied, adopting the same position as Inari on the floor of the Falcon. Luke closed his eyes and began to clear his mind. His breathing became more regular and the torrent in his head became temporarily calm.

"No!" hissed Inari. "Don't clear you mind. Recall every time you felt angry or betrayed. Allow your mind to be in turmoil."

"I said I wanted to learn about the dark side, not become Sith." Protested Luke. Inari grimaced.

"If you want to learn about the dark side, first you need to understand your own anger so do as I ask."

Luke tried, he really did. He tried to summon even a little anger, but there was nothing to summon: he was so accustomed to just letting his angry go, to not hold on to it. For a solid ten minutes he tried but to no avail. Inari seemed to sense this.

"Try thinking about every time you were powerless to stop the Empire taking something from you." This struck a chord and Inari knew it; so she continued without mercy, lacing her voice with mockery and malice. "You can't stop the Empire and you know this; deep in your heart you doubt yourself. You doubt you are worthy of the title 'Jedi'. You lie to yourself when you call yourself that. You are no a Jedi, you are too weak!"

Luke felt a great surge of anger rise within him like a vicious dragon. However, this was only because Inari had hit so close to the mark with her words. Luke did doubt himself sometimes; he wondered if he was deserved to be a Jedi. He hated to feel helpless to stop the Empire taking all he cared for. The fact that Inari was right only served to make him angrier.

"Good," said Inari simply. Suddenly she stood. "Now fight me."

For a moment, Luke didn't move. He just sat; slightly dazed by the volume of anger and hatred toiling inside him that he wasn't accustomed to. Then he attacked. Inari barely had enough time to get out of the way before a green blade slashed through the air space she had been occupying just a moment before. She ignited her Light Sabre and took a defensive stance. Luke attacked again, faster and stronger, however, Inari just laughed.

"You're useless, Jedi." She hissed, seeking to provoke him further. "Even amongst your friends, what use do you have? The smuggler can fly, the Wookie is strong and the Princess is clever. What use are you? You're needless, a spare part!" All of the Sith's words hit with deadly accuracy, finding their mark every time and making Luke angrier and angrier. His attacks grew faster still and more ferocious. He swung his Light Sabre at Inari, but each time she met his blade with hers.

"I've heard the smuggler call you Kid? He's right, you are a child. Always powerless!"

That did it. His angry had risen to a capacity where he could no longer contain it. It swirled like a tempest inside him, eager to join with the power of the Force that flowed through him also. Luke let loose a power-house scream and threw his Light Sabre aside, letting it clatter uselessly into a corner. His anger surged through him like electricity, combining with the Force as it reached his fingertips. His anger lanced forwards in the form of powerful and deadly blue-purple lightning. Inari dove out of its path just in time, rolling up to kneeling and panting slightly.

Luke's lightning fried all the naked circuitry in the Falcon's main hold as well as everything else. Various utilities sparked and smoked and crackled. Suddenly, Luke's mind seemed to catch up with his body. The lightning stopped abruptly. Luke looked around, appalled, at the damage the sheer force of his anger had caused. He opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say. Part of him wanted to ask how he had lost control of himself so quickly, however, the rest of him didn't want to know for fear of what it would mean. He closed his mouth. Then he ran out the room, his Light Sabre still abandoned in the corner. The metal doors of the cock pit slid shut with a hiss.

Inari got up and, dusting herself off, she deactivated her Light Sabre and reattached it her belt. She then moved to her seat and sat down.

"Well, well Luke. Aren't you just full of surprises." She murmured as she observed the damage Luke had done with his remarkable display of Sith lightning. Chuckling, she said to herself,

"Well, so am I." She worked off the black glove on her right hand. Inari then tapped her naked forearm with her left hand and a small panel, that usually blended seamlessly with the rest of the artificial skin, slid back revealing masses of wires and circuits beneath it and in the centre, a small holographic communicator. Inari smiled at her cybernetic appendage, mentally marvelling at its usefulness. However, on the outside she maintained a cool façade as the communicator flickered to life to reveal a dark, hooded figure.

"I trust you bring good news." Rasped the Sith through the communicator. Inari nodded.

"The plan will work." She stated in a low voice.

"How do you know this?" rasped the Sith eagerly. At this, Inari smiled.

"Just look around." She lifted her artificial forearm so that the Sith in the projection could see the destruction to the Millennium Falcon. The Sith cackled with glee.

"You have done well so far but you still have the next part of your mission to complete." Hissed the Sith harshly. "See that it is done well!"

Inari nodded once again.

"The prize will be yours; I can assure you of that." She said. "You will have your weapon."


	9. Monster

After leaving the cock pit, Luke ran straight to his sleeping quarters. His heart hammered in his chest and his head spun, making him feel rather ill. Once he got to his room he collapsed to the floor, trying to think coherently. _Why did I do that?_ Luke asked himself over and over again. He couldn't even really remember what had happened. He just remembered feeling more angry he had ever felt in his life… and then the main hold of the Millennium Falcon was sparking and fried. He tried to calm himself by closing his eyes but they seemed to burn hot behind his eyelids. Suddenly Luke had a terrifying thought. _What if my eyes have turned that same acid yellow as the Emperor's?_ Luke scrambled to the refresher in the corner of his room. He flicked a switch to turn on the light, illuminating his face in a dim glow. Luke's usual clear blue eyes stared back at him, full of terror and horror. The sight of his normal eyes calmed Luke substantially. He lent against the wall behind him and slid down it until he was sitting on the floor. However, Luke could still feel his newfound anger churning inside him.

He quickly adopted a meditation position and began to breathe slowly and regularly. He pushed his anger away, allowing it to leave him and clearing his head in the process. However, a scrap of anger and hatred remained in Luke's heart. As much as Luke tried, he couldn't force it to leave him as the rest had. Though his mind was clear and settled, that one sliver of darkness hid away in the shadows of his mind, taking the form of a monster. It was waiting for Luke to lose control again so that it may assume command of Luke's mind once more; using his body to wreak havoc through the dark side. Luke got up and started pacing furiously, frustrated that he was now burdened with this beast purely because of his stupidity. _What was I thinking?! _He asked himself as he recalled agreeing to let Inari teach him about the dark side. Inside his mind, the monster laughed at him, then it spoke in a voice that sounded disturbingly like Inari's.

_Foolish Jedi_, hissed the monster. _You thought you could hope to control the power of the dark side. No one can control it; the dark side of the Force will control you!_

Luke shook his head in defiance but the monster continued to mock him from inside his head.

_Soon Jedi, you will be just as much of a Sith as the Emperor, just as Sith as your father!_

Luke collapsed on his bed and tried to calm down. _It wants you angry so it can control you, _he told himself. _Don't let it!_ The only problem with doing this was the monster seemed to have an all-access pass to every one of Luke thoughts, feelings and memories therefore it was in the perfect position to push Luke's buttons.

From somewhere else in the ship, Luke heard the raised voice of Princess Leia. That meant that group were back from their trip into Mos Eisley. Luke pushed the monster back as best he could, deciding he would try and distract himself with talking to the others, (and avoiding Inari as much as possible). He got up from his bed and made his way to the door but just before he left the room, he quickly dashed back to the refresher. His blue eyes still stared back at him, clear and true. _Just checking,_ Luke assured himself.

When Luke entered the cock pit, he was met once again with a rather peculiar sight. Han, for the second time that day, was coated head to toe in black soot. _Probably from the engines of the Falcon,_ thought Luke. Leia also looked out of character; her usual white attire was covered in rusty red desert dust and she did not look happy about it.

"I cannot believe you did that!" exclaimed Leia rather loudly, her hands on her hips.

"Hey, it was a joke!" shouted back Han defensively, however, Leia was still fuming.

"You tried to trade me!" It was at this point that Luke really started taking notice of their conversation.

"Wait, what?! Han what did you-" Luke began but Han cut him off.

"Look, it's not what you think. I buying some parts for the Falcon off some guy and he asked me what I'd pay him for them and at this point Leia was shouting in my ear-"

"I was not shouting!" said Leia hotly.

"Fine," said Han. "Leia was _saying_ that we needed to hurry up and getting all on my case so I _jokingly _said to this guy, 'How about I give you her?'" It was at this point that Han began to look a little guilty. "But apparently the guy didn't speak very good Basic so my sarcasm was kinda lost in translation, so-"

"So I was slung over the shoulder of a huge Twi-lek and-"

"And rescued by your truly."

"You almost shot my head off!"

"Hey, I was trying to talk things out with the stall owner at the same time, I wasn't exactly paying attention."

"So you just thought you'd shoot and hope you didn't hit me?!"

"Well he let you go didn't he? Beside that Twi-lek was only doing as his boss asked him to: collecting my payment. Then I paid the guy in credits and it was all good." Finished Han. Luke frowned.

"That still doesn't explain why Leia looks like that." Said Luke, referring to Leia's new colour pallet. Han looked a little guilty again.

"When the Twi-lek dropped Leia, she kinda got a little dusty." Leia glared daggers at Han, but Han ignored her, instead opting to infuriate the Princess more. "Hey Kid, remind if I ever come back to Tattooine: never wear white."

However, Han's joke was completely lost on Luke. He was focussing on something else Han had said.

_He called you Kid, _whispered the monster. _He thinks your naïve and weak._

Suddenly Luke felt a surge of anger.

"Do not. Call me. Kid." Luke ground out, glaring at Han, who looked quite taken aback.

"Hey, I'm sorry Luke, I didn't mean-" Han began but was swiftly cut off.

"Shut up, Smuggler." Luke hissed, his anger still rising. Luke then spun on his heel and march out of the cock pit, leaving everyone in a stunned silence.


	10. Lying

Han blinked, staring at the door Luke had just left through.

"What the hell was that?" He asked. Leia shrugged and shook her head, for once not having the answer. That suddenly display of anger was very unlike Luke and it worried Leia.

"Maybe I should go talk to him. He's seemed a little bit off since Naboo. Maybe it's having that Sith apprentice around him all the time."

"Are you saying he's turning Sith? Come on Leia, this is Luke we're talking about. The day Luke becomes Sith is the day Mustafar freezes over." Leia knew Han was right, however she couldn't shake the feeling something was seriously wrong with Luke. She kept getting a foreboding feeling whenever she was around him, very much like the feeling she got around Inari. It was this that worried her.

"I'm going to go talk to him." Decided Leia, rising from her seat and moving towards the door.

"Just let him know again that I'm sorry?" asked Han, before she left. Though Han sometimes poked fun at the young Jedi, he did really consider him to be his brother, especially since he had never really had any official family. Leia nodded, smiling a little. She understood clearly the underlying message in the smuggler's words. Leia then walked smartly out of the door of the cockpit and down the corridor, navigating her way through the Millennium Falcon until she found Luke's room. She hesitated slightly before entering, sensing wave upon wave of subtle panic and anger emanating from the other side of the door. Leia then shook her head and checked herself. _Don't be silly,_ she scolded herself. _You can't _sense_ things, that's ridiculous. _Never the less, she braced herself slightly as she entered the room.

"Luke?..." she said quietly as she entered. Luke didn't reply, but Leia could see him. He was sitting on his bed with his back again the wall, busying himself with levitating a cup just in front of him. He stared straight ahead, his eyes unseeing but behind them, Leia could see the turmoil in his mind. "Are you alright?" she asked, a little tentatively. This numb Luke was worrying her, even going as far as to make her nervous not only for Luke, but also the crew of the Falcon. Luke was very powerful and Leia knew this for a fact; if he were to decide for some reason that he wanted to tear apart the ship and its crew, he could with relative ease. However, Leia's rational mind soon came to the conclusion that this was a highly remote possibility as so stole herself to ask Luke the question she had really been meaning to ask.

"Why did you go off at Han like that? Is there something the matter?"

This question suddenly bought Luke back to life.

"I, um… I don't know." He answered quickly. In the air, the cup wobbled as Luke's focus waned. _He's lying, _Leia thought with conviction. _But why is he lying? _Leia frowned slightly but quickly corrected this, going back to her usual open and kind but focussed face. She decided to delve further in search for the truth.

"Is it Inari?" she asked. At this, the cup went stock-still, as if it has been frozen in mid-air and Luke's face hardened. _Now we're getting somewhere, _thought the Princess.

"It's not Inari." Luke said as calmly as possible. A rather long and awkward silence followed this statement. Very carefully, Leia moving to sit on the edge of Luke's bed, thinking. _I know he's lying, but why? Why would he lie to me? _

"Han says he's sorry again." Offered Leia. Luke's expression didn't move. He continued to stare at the cup. "You can talk to me you know Luke." Stated Leia, in a last ditch attempt to get the Jedi to open up to her. "I will understand-" Suddenly, the cup flew through the air and smashed into pieces against the wall and the monster roared.

"No you won't!" Shouted Luke, suddenly standing. "You don't understand anything about me because you're a clever little Princess and I'm just someone who happened to wind up coming to find you on the Death Star. I'm not even meant to be here and it's only by chance that I am. The only reason you kept me around is because I have some useful little party tricks you can use in your Rebellion! You don't even understand what it's like to use the Force, you don't know how difficult it is and with all its endless rules and deviations about the Light and the Dark…" Luke trailed off, his voice lowering and his anger dissipating as quickly as it had arrived leaving only a strong feeling of being ashamed of himself. Luke froze, very tempted to run again like he had done in the cock pit, but he had nowhere to run to. Leia remained on the bed, unmoving but eyes wide and full of shock.

"I am so sorry," began Luke, words tumbling out of his mouth and tripping over one another. "I didn't mean to… I mean I don't…" Leia shook her head and raised a hand.

"It's fine." She said, quietly. She rose quickly, making her way towards the door. However, she paused in the door frame and looked Luke straight in the eye and decided to speak her mind and her heart. "Luke, I love you like a brother and so does Han and I know it isn't you who is angry and shouting at us. We are and always will be here for you no matter what so don't you dare think we only keep you around because of your abilities. I'm glad it was you who came to rescue me on the Death Star and though you and Han weren't the best rescuers, I wouldn't have wanted it to be anyone else."

Luke looked momentarily surprised by this emotional statement from the Princess, whom he was so used to thinking rationally and practically, rarely leaving room for emotional things like this. However, he briefly nodded and Leia nodded in return.

"Thank you." He said, clearly. This warm message had driven back the icy grip of the monster, forcing it down into the dark depths of his mind, from where it would have a hard time returning. "And can you tell Han I'm sorry, please?" He added. Leia smiled slightly, seeing old Luke was back for now.

"You can tell him yourself." She said smartly, but with a discrete, mischievous smile. Luke rolled his eyes and followed Leia out the door, back to Han in the cock pit.


	11. Confrontation

For the third time in the past few hours, Luke entered the room and was greeted by a very strange scene. Han had Inari pinned by her throat approximately a foot up the wall of the main hold and was holding his trademark blaster inches way from her face and both were screaming wildly at each other viciously as Inari writhed under Han's grip.

"What the hell is going on here!" shouted Leia, a look of sudden anger and confusion plastered across her face. Han whipped his head toward Leia and was about to reply if it wasn't for Inari. Taking advantage of the smuggler's momentary lapse in concentration, she landed a Force-aided punch to Han's ribs. Han let go of Inari's neck and collapse on the floor, winded. The Sith apprentice landed gracefully, standing over Han with a look that could destroy an entire star system on her face. She kicked Han mercilessly, sending him crashing across the floor. He landed with a dull thud on the other side of the room, his back slamming into the metallic wall of the Falcon. Inari drew back a hand, deadly Sith lightning crackling between her fingers. Her intent was clearly to fry Han were he lay, however, Leia was faster. She quickly drew out the Energy-cancelling Cuffs remote. In less than an instant, the cuffs were reactivated. Inari's wrists were suddenly fused together, two blue spheres of energy rendering her Sith powers useless. She glared at Leia with malice, blaring her teeth like a wild animal.

"What's going on?!" asked Luke, seriously.

"Ask. Him." Hissed Inari, looking at Han accusingly, who was still in a heap on the floor.

"Han?" Said Leia, raising an eyebrow. Han made a effort to stand, using the wall to aid him.

"Well..." he began. "Luke was acting weird and I figured _she _probably had something to do with. I was just asking the little psycho some questions-"

"He attacked me!" Hissed Inari, interrupting Han.

"I was interrogating!" Han shouted back defensively. "I know Luke wouldn't be acting strange without something else bothering him, you kriffin'-"

"Han!" Shouted Luke. Han's head whipped round to look at Luke, still clearly seething. Lowering his voice to a more respectable tone, Luke said, "I'm sorry I yelled at you." He looked to Inari and for a moment they just stared at each other, an unspoken conversation happening between their eyes. "But it was..." Luke paused and looked at his feet, avoiding the eyes of his friends. "Not Inari. I guess the pressure of this mission has just got me a little on edge." Han's face fell a little. Luke knew Han only needed the slightest excuse for shooting Inari, and Luke had just shot down his latest one.

"Don't worry about it," said Han, half an eye still on Inari, who glared back defiantly. "It's fine Ki-... I'm mean Luke." He finished with a tight smile. That just made Luke feel worse.

Leia deactivated Inari's cuffs.

"What are you do? She could still kill me!" yelled Han.

"We need her to tell us where the second part of the key is-" began Leia.

"And I will not do so whilst incapacitated by these." Finished Inari, showing the metal bands on her wrists. Han glared at her but said nothing, sitting down in a chair and discretely rubbing his bruised ribs and nursing his equally bruised pride.

"So where is this thing then?" He said.

"Coruscant." said Inari, simply.

"What?!" Yelled Han. "Coruscant? That's the centre of the empire and after that trick we pulled on Naboo, we're more 'Most Wanted' than usual. We go within anywhere near Coruscant and we'll be swarmed by Imperials before you can say 'damn'."

"Don't worry, Smuggler, its gets worse." Said Inari with a sly smile. "The object's exact location is the Galactic Senate, in the room the Emperor keeps his throne."

The crew of the Millennium Falcon became noticeably more nervous.

"That's crazy, we can't go there." Protested Luke.

"No kidding," said Han. "That is probably the most heavily guarded room in the galaxy. It would take a small army to even get in, let alone escape with the Emperor's property."

"Fine," stated Inari, sitting down and examining her nails. "Don't get this part of the key and allow the Emperor to find the Crystal. Fine by me."

Leia grimaced. Once again, they didn't have any choice.

"Han, when will the Falcon be ready for travel?"

"What!?" said Han. "We're not going to get that thing, it's impossible-"

"It doesn't matter, we have to try. When will the ship be ready to leave Tattooine?"

Han stared at the Princess in disbelief for a few moments but eventually replied,

"Chewie should be done with those repairs by now." He stood, wincing slightly as the pain in his side flared. "I'll go check then get us flying."

Leia nodded at Han as he turned to leave for the cock pit. "Luke, use the ships computer to upload a schematic of the Senate building. Inari can help you." Leia wasn't entirely certain that leaving Luke alone with the Sith apprentice was the best idea, but she didn't want to leave Inari unwatched and Leia needed a few moments to herself to think over the mission and what Luke had said to her earlier. She wasn't sure how, but she knew something was wrong with Luke and somehow Inari was involved. Inari was another question Leia wanted answering. It had occurred to her near the beginning of their mission that not only was Inari a Sith, but they also knew nothing about her; Leia was determined solve the mystery of Inari Obscuro, especially since her presence now was effecting Luke. Leia decided to retreat to her quarters, the beginning of an idea simmering in her mind. Perhaps her own personal trip to Coruscant would be even more eventful than she first anticipated.


	12. Desertion

Their decent onto Coruscant was complicated to say the least. It had quickly been decided that the Millennium Falcon was much too easily recognised to be used for them to land directly on the planet, so Han had had to call in a favour from an old gambling buddy. The conversation had gone as most conversations with Han usually went: his 'friend' nearly shot him as soon Han opened his mouth. It was only after Han had gotten Chewie to threaten to rip the man's arms off did he comply a little more willingly and lent Han a nondescript space craft that could be used to land on Coruscant, leaving the Falcon docked in a near by Rebel-controlled space station.

"I'm still not happy about this." said Han from the pilot's chair as he maneuvered the small ship through Coruscant's numerous streams of traffic. Chewie whinned in agreement. "In fact," he continued. "This may just be the worse idea I have ever been a part of and you know I've been a part of a lot of bad ideas."

"Quit complaining," replied Leia. "If the Emperor gets the Kaiburr Crystal first then the Rebellion won't last more than a week. Everything we fight for will be gone and it will be our fault for not trying to get to the Crystal before him. We-"

"Yeah yeah, I know. We don't have a choice." Muttered Han darkly. The smuggler was rather fed up of hearing that phrase. He hated not having a choice. Han steered the ship round a sharp corner, expertly avoiding a head-on collision with a speeder. "I hate Coruscant." Said Han, changing the subject. "Everyone here drives like their on Spice." Luke chuckled and saw Leia resisting the urge to smile. Han, as usual, could always lighten the mood. Suddenly, the Senate Building loomed into view, casting a long and ominous shadow along the Coruscanti streets. Leia sighed in sad awe.

"Their was a time when the Senate was uncorrupt and respected. The galaxy was at peace because they kept order and made sure to consider everyone's views-"

"Except the Rim worlds." Said Luke, a dark look on his face. "Don't start telling me how the Senate was fair, Leia. My Uncle used to tell me how the Senate didn't pay any attention to the Rim worlds, they just ignored them and all their problems; like slave-trading and routine kidnapping; especially on Tattooine. The old Senate didn't even care about us because my planet doesn't have anything 'useful' to offer. No resources, no strategic value-."

"That's not true." Protested Leia, hotly. "The Senate didn't ignore anyone's problems. They had to-"

"Prioritize?" Finished Luke. "And how many time can helping out the Rim worlds come at the bottom of the Senate's 'to-do' list before it becomes a pattern, huh?"

Leia opened her mouth to fire back a scathing remark about some Rim worlds being beyond help, however she quickly decided against it. She could sense Luke was getting angrier by the second, even about a matter so... _political; s_omething Luke never usually cared about unless it concerned the Empire. Leia didn't want to aggravate Luke if she could help it because, as much as she didn't want to admit it, after seeing him lose his usual Jedi calm, she was now slightly scared of him. She didn't need reminding how powerful he was and now, apparently, he was volatile too. Leia knew this was not a good combination. Instead she decided to just nod and say,

"Maybe your right, who knows." She looked at her feet, avoiding Luke's gaze and hoping he didn't sense that she was lying.

This remark seemed to appease Luke. Suddenly, the ship came to a halt.

"Here we are, guys." Called Han, rising from his seat and pushing firmly against the clear, plasteel roof of the ship, opening it and allowing its crew to disembark. About thirty metres away, the Senate Building towered over them. Han had landed on a rooftop of a near by building and was now drumming a tattoo with his fingers into his DL-44 blaster. "Okay," said Han, cautiously. "What's the plan?" Leia's face hardened.

"You go in, find the artifact and get out. All preferably without being killed."

"What!?" Han shouted, suddenly. "Are you trying to tell me we are going on an impossible mission without so much as a real plan!?" He hissed. Leia paused before replying.

"Not us, you." Stated Leia, not looking at the others, instead finding interest in her feet once more. "I have something I need to do and I will meet you back at the Falcon."

"What!?" Shouted Han, even louder. "You're gonna just leave us? Where are you even going? Cuz' I don't know about you but I don't you but I really can't think of something more important than saving _your own _rebellion for being destroyed by a psychopath wielding a fancy rock!"

"I, umm... I have some business to attend to. Besides, I would be of no use to you on this mission; you'll be fine without me."

"I can't believe this." Said Luke. He looked not only angry, but also betrayed that Leia was leaving them at such an important stage in their mission; especially since it was her idea in the first place to even try and find the Crystal. Leia could see this and that just made her feel even worse for what she was doing. _You have to,_ she assured herself.

"I will meet you back at the Falcon." Stated Leia once again, trying to keep her face emotionless and free of guilt. Han looked at her with an emotion on his face that almost broke her: disappointment. However, Leia ignored it, or did her best to. Turning quickly, she hailed a taxi and got in. She didn't look back though she could feel her friends stares on her. Inari simply smiled maliciously, enjoying the chaos Leia had created.


	13. Diving

Han watched the back end of the taxi speeder Leia had just left in as it receded into the distance. His brain was having a hard time processing this information. _Did she really just leave us?_ The smuggler asked himself that question again and again, unable to comprehend how Leia could just simply get in a ship and go without so much as a look back at them. _But Leia would never leave us like this..._ reasoned Han's brain. _Great,_ he thought, darkly. _Now Luke _and _Leia are acting wierd._ This thought made Han very tempted to aim his DL-44 at Inari again, however he doubted this would sit well with Luke and lately, Luke had been making him kind of nervous. He was just acting so out of character. Han had never, not once, seen Luke get angry, not like he had in the cockpit a few hours ago. It was the look in Luke's eyes that the smuggler couldn't forget; he had looked ready to murder him and Han knew Luke could, quite easily.

"So what do we do now?" Asked Luke, glancing from Han to the Senate Building.

"You came here to get the second part of the key," said Inari. "So lets stop wasting time." And with that, she was gone, running towards the edge of the building. Luke gaped and Han fumbled for the remote that would deliver to her a jolting electric shock to impede her.

"Damn." Swore Han, realizing Leia still had it. Inari launched herself over the edge of the structure, angling her body so that she traveled to the side of the Senate Building. She was aiming for an open balcony about 500 metres below her and gaining fast. She ignited her Light Sabre, jamming it into the metal exterior of the building and slowing her decent until she landed on the balcony flawlessly; stowing her Light Sabre back on her belt. Luke rushed to the edge, his eyes fixed on Inari, who had now become a small dot about 1000 metres below. Swallowing hard, Luke quickly made a very risky decision based on logic that most would not call sound. In other words, he had just come up with a very bad idea. Luke stepped up onto the low metal wall that marked the edge of the building he was currently standing on. The wind blew through his hair but luckily not over balancing him.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Shouted Han.

"We can't leave her on her own, she might escape and then we'll never find the Crystal." Luke shouted back over the roaring of the wind in his ears.

"Luke, this mission is already crazy, you don't need to jump off a building."

Luke ignored him. Instead he focused on Inari far below. Maybe he was too far away to see, but he could have sworn she was waiting for him.

"Chewie," shouted Han. "Help me get him down from there!"

Luke took that as his cue. He launched himself off the wall and immediately felt the Coruscant wind blasting in his face. He couldn't hear and could barely see but he reached out with the Force and focused on Inari; her Force-signiture burning like torch in the blinding gale. He copied her technique, angling his body through the wind so that he shot towards the exterior wall of the Senate Building. At the last possible second, he flipped himself over, so that his front faced the wall and ignited his Light Sabre. He drove it into the wall and this immediately slowed his fall. His Light Sabre cut through the metal, melting it and leaving an ugly gash in the side of the building, parallel to the one Inari had created just a few moments before. He landed on the balcony with not nearly as much grace as Inari, making a dull thud that set uncomfortable shock waves up his legs.

"It's about time you got here." Said Inari, airily. Luke stayed crouched on the floor, panting rapidly. He had just jumped off a building after all.

"Why?" He growled, not looking up.

"The main entrance will be heavily guarded and I thought you didn't want to waste time. Traveling down to the front door would have taken too long. Besides, you didn't have to follow me here." She finished with a sly smile.

"You know I did." Luke ground out, rising from the floor.

"I'm flattered."

"Because none of us trusts you alone." Luke finished, trying to resist the urge to glare at her. Inari just laughed, and began walking across the spacious balcony to the far end, where a set of pristine glass doors stood in their path.

"I believe there is something in there that you want." Called Inari, once more igniting her Light Sabre, using it to cut a neat hole in the glass which she slipped through like a snake. Luke did the same but with not nearly as much finesse. They now stood in a large but empty corridor. There was no light in the there, save that coming from the glass doors they had just entered though, making the place full of shadows that appeared to move as the outdoor light was disrupted by passing speeders.

"Do you know the way to the Throne Room?" Whispered Luke, very aware that he was currently standing in the building that was arguably the centre of the Empire. Inari nodded silently. Suddenly, she disappeared; one moment she was standing next to him, the next, she was gone. Luke whipped his head back and forth, looking for his missing guide. Inari's bell-like laughter echoed quietly around the corridor. Luke looked in the direction the laughter came from, but the was nothing there; just shadows.

"Where are you?" Luke hissed, turning wildly, trying to look in every direction at once. There was no reply, just more laughing. Luke quickly realized his eyes had suddenly been rendered useless and so decided to use a different tactic. He reached out, using the Force and tried to focus on Inari's Force-signiture. However, when he found it, he was rather confused. It told him that the Sith apprentice was directly behind him.

"Boo." Came Inari's voice just behind his right ear. Luke jump about a foot in the air.

"How in hell did you do that!?" Luke whispered harshly. Inari simply smiled.

"You can do amazing things with the dark side of the Force, Jedi." She whispered back slyly and as much as he didn't want to be, Luke was intrigued. Deep inside his mind, the monster stirred, responding to the offering of more power.

"How did you disappear like that?" Luke asked more calmly.

"I would have thought a Jedi would have ceased wanting to learn more about the dark side after an incident like you had with the Smuggler. However, it did simply prove my point: you, Jedi, cannot handle that much power. You can't control it."

Luke's expression hardened, the monster rising to the bait. "But if you still wish to learn," Inari continued, watching his expression carefully. "Your next lesson begins now."


	14. Infiltration

Han stared over the edge of the building, dumbfounded. His brain was having an incredibly hard time processing what had just transpired in the past few moments.

"He did _not _just do that..." Han half spoke, half mumbled. He turned and looked incredulously at Chewie, who was standing behind him with a look of shock and amazement very similar to Han's, plastered across his furry face. He grunted something in Shyriiwook.

"Yeah, I'm sure he's fine, don't worry Chewie." Replied Han, still not taking his eyes off the balcony some 1000 feet below them on which Luke had landed. "But I'm not entirely comfortable with leaving him alone with that girl." Added Han with a frown. The Wookie growled something else, to which Han said,

"What we need to do is get into that building."

Chewie growled again. Han's lips pressed into a thin line, as he often did when he was thinking.

"It's the 'how' part I'm working on, Chewie. I know we can't use the front door; too many guards."

Chewie grunted, pointing upwards.

"That's right," exclaimed Han, running back towards the ship and climbing aboard. He waited for Chewie to follow. "There maybe guards at the entrance but I doubt there'll be any on the roof." Han threw back the throttle on the borrowed ship, gunning the engine and expertly maneuvering it into the sky. From the back seat, the Wookie growled quizzically.

"I'm not worried about Luke," Said Han, replying to Chewie's question. "I know he can handle himself. What I'm worried about is him being left alone with _her._"

The Wookie grunted something else.

"Why?" Replied Han. "Because... I don't know." For a moment, Han considered whether or not to tell Chewie what had been playing on his mind. _He's your best friend, _Han told himself. _If you can't trust him, who can you trust?_ "It's just ever since her and Luke met, it's felt like she has spent every moment trying to work her way into the Kid's head." Han kept his eyes firmly trained on the ship's instruments, avoiding looking Chewie in the eyes through the rear view mirror. "And when he just snapped like that in the ship earlier..."

Chewie growled, finishing Han's sentence.

"No!" Replied Han, a little too forcefully. "I don't think he's turning Sith, don't be ridiculous."

The Wookie grunted another question in Shyriiwook.

"I don't know what I think." Replied Han, looking at Chewie, through the mirror. "I just don't think he's the same Luke anymore. I mean the look in his eyes when he just went off like that earlier... he looked-"

Han was abruptly cut off by Chewie's panicked roar. Han's eyes quickly switched back to the windscreen. Only a few mere metres in front of them, loomed a huge billboard. The Corellian yelped and swore loudly, yanking the wheel hard over. The loaned ship missed a head-on collision with an advert for cheap Durasteel by about a foot.

"You okay, Chewie?" Called Han to the back seat. The Wookie grumbled something rude about Han's fleeting attention span and so the Smuggler assumed he was okay.

Han steered the ship carefully until they landed on the roof of the the Senate Building. Both he and Chewie climbed out cautiously.

"No weapons systems on the roof. How strange." Commented Han, quietly. Chewie grunted a reply.

"It's not necessarily good." Replied Han. "In fact, no exterior weapons systems probably just means that security inside is so good, they don't need them."

That thought did nothing to increase Han's faith in his plan to find Luke, which so far consisted of: get into building, find Luke. He had never been very good at formulating plans, that was Leia's area of expertise. Han began to scan the roof, searching for a possible entrance. The place was dotted with vents, all of which were too small to fit Chewbacca through and Han had very rapidly decided he wasn't going anywhere around this building without his best friend and personal bodyguard therefore there was no way Han was leaving Chewie waiting on the roof. Chewie grunted. Han laugh a little before replying to the Wookie's comment about their choice of entrance consistent with that of their last break-in attempt on Naboo.

"Yeah, I know. Don't worry buddy, once this Kaiburr Crystal thing is over, we're gonna always be using the front door."

By chance, Han happened to look down at his feet in his search for a way in to the building. He noticed he was standing on a large, metal panel set into the floor.

"Hold on, what's this." Said Han, crouching down to get a closer look. "Hey Chewie, come help me out here." Together, the Smuggler and the Wookie worked to remove the panel from the floor. With one last almighty yank, they succeeded and beneath it they found their entrance. Below the metal panel, was a narrow set of stairs that led down into the building.

"This must be some kind of maintenance shaft or something." Said Han. Chewie grunted.

"Yeah," replied Han. "It looks like the only way in and I don't want to leave Luke alone with _'our guide'." _

With that, Han stood up and started down the steps. Chewie followed him reluctantly, growling something uneasily.

"Yeah, I know," replied Han. "I don't feel great about this either, but come on we're willingly walking into a building full of Imperials when we are two of the four most wanted people in the galaxy; do you really expect to feel good about that?"

Chewie grumbled darkly, still not liking their plan to find Luke, which as far as Chewie could tell, was: get into the Senate Building, find Luke. It wasn't exactly an awe inspiring strategy.

"Don't worry," called back Han. "I've seen maintenance passages like this before. They run through the whole place. We should be able to get through the entire building without being seen. Come on, let's go."


	15. Shadows

Luke's head whipped from left to right wildly, trying in vain to locate Inari. She had disappeared again; the shadows seemingly swallowing her whole in a split second. Even her Force signature seemed to have been dulled, as if his senses had been wrapped in bubble wrap.

"Where are you!?" Luke whispered harshly. They were running out of time; the longer they stayed in the building, the more likely they were to be captured and if that happened, their lives would be considerably shorter. Inari's infuriating laughter rang quietly through the corridor. _She is going to get me killed_, thought Luke in dismay. As a last resort, Luke ignited his Lightsabre and used its gentle glow to cast at least a little light into the shadowy hallway. Very slowly he turned around, pointing his Lightsabre in the direction he was looking.

"Can I help you find something?" asked a voice directly behind him. Luke jumped out of his skin.

"Stop doing that!" He hissed. "How are you doing that anyway?"

Inari smiled.

"Many Jedi say the Dark Side of the Force is unnatural, that's why they refuse to use it. My little trick is about as unnatural as the Dark Side gets."

With that, Luke felt her reach out with the Force but slowly this time and allowing him to see the process. Luke watched in fascination as the shadows around the Sith slowly but surely began to move. They bent around her gradually until they cloaked her completely, rendering her invisible to him, even her Force signature.

"Matter manipulation." He whispered in begrudging awe.

"Smart boy," She replied from the shadows. "Now the question is," She continued, her voice moving this time until she appeared to be behind him. "Do you want to know how to do it yourself."

"So this is that lesson you were talking about?" Asked Luke. Inari nodded.

"Just bare in mind you won't be able to get past in Imperial Guards without knowing this little Dark Side party trick."

"So I don't really have a choice?" Concluded Luke. Unseen, Inari smiled.

"You have a choice." Inari stated. "One option will leave you with your precious Jedi conscience clean and the other option will give you the power to claim the second part of the key and save your precious Rebellion. Besides, our bet is still on and part of it was you learn some Dark Side tricks from me and prove to me that you can control it. So far you have only proved that you are too weak to do so."

Luke grimaced, knowing the Sith apprentice was right.

"Okay," said Luke quietly, giving in. "How did you do it?"

Inari stepped out of the shadows and smiled.

"I'll teach you on the way to the Emperor's chambers. It's too dangerous to stay in the same place long."

Luke followed Inari down the corridor and into the depths of the building.

"I want you channel your anger, like you did on the ship." Instructed Inari, still walking briskly.

"No way." Answered Luke immediately. He still remembered with uncomfortable clarity what that had led to last time and he wasn't about to allow that to happen again. "You know what, this is crazy. Forget I asked you to teach me."

Inari smirked. "Fine, then your friends and your Rebellion can die. I have no problem with that and apparently neither do you. Looks like you're more Sith that I thought. After all, only a Sith would be that selfish."

This really struck a chord and Luke's anger flared up inside him and Inari felt it.

"Good," She purred. "Now that is the kind of anger we can work with... if you still want to be taught that is?" Inari's eyes bored into Luke, searching his face for a reaction. Luke swallowed. He knew there was no other way. Very stiffly, he nodded and Inari smiled then continued with her lesson as if she hadn't been interrupted.

"Now, you know everything has the Force following through it, even matter. To make any object do as you please, you simply need to manipulate the Force in those objects. What makes this a Dark Side technique is the fact that you must manipulate the Force directly, using it to do your bidding, instead of using it as your ally as Jedi do. This will be made easier by using you anger and rage. Don't think about control or measure. Just let your anger shape the Force for you."

Luke nodded and stopped walking. He closed his eyes, ignored the logical part of his brain screaming at him not to do it, and unleashed anger in all its force. When he did, it felt like he had been hit in the chest with a hammer. He fell to his knees, eyes squeezed tight shut, not caring that he was in the centre of the Empire. He focused on breathing, determined not to collapse completely. _I am not weak,_ he hissed to himself inside his head. His breathing slowed and he tried think for a moment.

"Focus on the Force." Said Inari quietly. "Feel the Force in the shadows around you and use it to move them."

Luke nodded, barely hearing her over the sound of the blood roaring in his ears. He felt... power. _Is this what the Dark Side of the Force is like? _He asked himself. _This doesn't feel evil... it just feels... stronger._

"Focus!" Hissed Inari. "We are running out of time."

Heeding Inari's words, Luke fought for control over his new found power. Suddenly, everything became clearer. He could feel the shadows around his as if they were a fluid. Focusing solely on the Force in them, he tried to move them, only a little. To his surprise, they complied, moving with his wishes. He smiled, feeling victorious. Luke stood very slowly, concentrating intensely on the shadows. Inari watched him, a small shadow playing on her lips. Luke opened his eyes and looked at her... then his disappeared.


	16. Distraction

The pair arrived at the entrance to the Throne Room much sooner than Luke expected. The corridor they had been following suddenly widened drastically, giving way to a long and cavernous room with a high glass ceiling and pillars lining the walls. At one end of the room,stood large, grey, metal double doors.

"That's the only way in." Breathed Inari, not daring to speak any louder.

Luke nodded, starring at the doors with a sense of foreboding. He turned his attention to the guards. No less than six Imperial Guards stood on watch, all donning their trademark attire. They were dressed entirely in blood red cloaks, the hood of which perfectly obscuring their faces and rendering them unrecognizable and all carried a deadly electrified spear. They were stationed all around the room, so that no area of the room couldn't be seen; two stood by the doors, the other four stood at each corner of the room. None of them seemed to move, or even breathe. They barely even seemed alive.

"Come on." She whispered, beginning to move forwards slowly but expertly shrouding herself in shadow. Hesitantly, Luke followed, increasing his focus even more to ensure he stayed hidden from the eyes of the Imperial Guard. The journey to the door was nerve wracking to put it mildly, especially when Luke had to pass directly behind the Guards at each corner. His heart hammered so loudly in his chest that Luke was almost certain the every one in the room could hear it. Luke knew well the reputation of the Imperial Guard. They were tasked with protecting the Emperor himself, which meant out of the entire Empire's military forces, these soldiers were the best of the best. _That key must be pretty important to the Emperor for him to leave some of his best guards behind to protect it_, thought Luke, eyeing the guardsmen nervously. Luke never looked for a fight and in this situation, he desperately wanted to avoid one. Usually he was quietly confident in his battles, however, against the Imperial Guard, the Emperor's personal soldiers, he doubted he would fair well even with Inari with him.

The pair now stood in front of the huge, dark, metal doors that led into the Throne Room and Luke realized they had a small problem.

"How are we going to get inside?" He asked. "Because if we open the doors then the Guards will hear us."

Inari smiled dangerously and this made Luke very nervous.

"We simply need a distraction." She replied, her eyes flashing.

"Distraction?"

Her smile widened.

"Like this." Suddenly, Luke felt an almighty force hit him squarely in the chest like a sledge hammer. It threw him back into the middle of the room, directly under the skylight and completely clear of the shadows in which he had been hiding. Luke coughed and sat up. In under a second, he was surrounded, six double-ended spears, crackling with lightning, pointed directly in his face. Luke swallowed. _What had just happened_, Luke asked himself. However, he didn't have time to think of an answer; a guard lunged at him with his spear and Luke had to react quickly. Instinctively, he ignited his Light Sabre and met the Guard's weapon with a shower of sparks. The battle had begun. The guards attack with unbridled ferocity and deadly expertise and accuracy. Luke was having a hard time just defending, let alone trying to land any attacks of his own.

Meanwhile, using the commotion she had created as a cover, Inari slipped inside the Throne Room.

Surprisingly, it was empty of guards. _Of course it is_, thought Inari. _The Emperor is not in residence. The only reason those guards are here is to protect the second part of the key._

The Throne Room itself was dark, the only light that was allowed to enter came in thought long, thin, tinted glass windows in the exterior wall. The only furniture in the room was the throne itself, sitting at the far end; it was rather plain actually, a seat made of dark and solid metal with a high back and very utilitarian look. It had no adornments what so ever. Inari moved quickly. She darted across the room, falling to her knees in front of the throne. Very carefully, she reached behind it, her fingers roaming over the smooth metal, searching for an imperfection. Near the very base of the throne, she found it; a small and almost invisible button. She smiled and pressed it.  
There was a sharp, metallic hiss and in the front the the throne, a small rectangle began to trace itself into the smooth metal revealing a small draw at the base of the throne. She pulled it open and smiled in satisfaction.  
"Exactly where he said it would be." Inari murmured to herself. Swiftly, she retrieved the second part of the key from the secret compartment then push it shut. The draw automatically resealed itself, making it secret and invisible once more. The second part of the key was almost an exact copy of the first, in fact it was a mirror image. Carefully, Inari slipped it into a side pocket in her trousers.

"Perfect." She said. Then, very calmly, almost casually, she walk back up the length of the room and carefully opened the door. On the other side of it, chaos came to meet her. Luke was still battling fiercely against the Imperial Guard, his Light Sabre swinging and whirling in every direction, trying to defend against the six attackers all at once. Inari slipped into the shadows at the corner of the room to watch.


	17. Unleashed

Luke's chest was heaving. He felt like he had been fighting for a life time and his enemy was showing no signs of tiring. His Light Sabre lay deactivated several metres away from him and between him and it, was an unbreachable wall of red formed by the Imperial Guard and their electrified spears. Luke was trapped, exhausted and out of options. _Where the heck is Inari?_ He asked himself angrily. _I should have known better than to trust a Sith._ Luke had fought well against the Imperial Guard for some time, however, the Imperial Guard weren't tasked with protecting the Emperor for nothing. They fought formidibly and soon Luke had been backed into a corner and was totally surrounded. Very slowly, they began to close the distance between themselves and Luke, almost as if they were toying with him. Hiding in the shadows, Inari had her hand on her Light Sabre, getting ready to intervene in the battle. _No,_ she told herself. _My Master said wait until it was absolutely necessary if he needs help._

Suddenly, Luke was hit with an idea; it was crazy and he knew it. _But I promised Master Yoda that I wouldn't,_ he thought frantically as he rapidly contemplated his new idea. _But you are not much good to the Rebellion dead, are you?_ Whispered the monster, slinking out of the shadows of his mind. _You will have to save yourself in order to help save them. Your friends, your Rebel Alliance. You can't save them if you allow yourself to be destroyed now._

Luke gritted his teeth together. His mind felt trapped in his impossible decision and he was running out of time. _Tick tock,_ breathed the monster.

"Obi-wan... Ben, what do I do?" Luke whispered. No reply. No glowing apparition of his first master. _Never there when you need him, is he?_ Growled the monster, advancing further. A small flame of anger blossomed in Luke chest. The monster smiled; it could sense it was winning. _Inari isn't here when you need her either,_ it continued. _Or Leia. You are all alone; doesn't that prove that none of them really cares for you? They only care when you are useful to them... they only care for you power, _it whispered. That did it. The anger in Luke's heart detonated, forming a wild fire of rage and hatred. It was exactly this that the monster had been waiting for. Now it could take control.

Luke's breathing slowed, the power of the dark side coursing through his veins and making him strong. His exhaustion evaporated, allowing Luke to focus solely on his anger. He could feel the power and he smiled.

In the shadows, Inari took her hand away from her Light Sabre.

"Now things are going to get interesting." She murmured.

Suddenly, Luke lept forward with impossible speed. He flipped easily over the guards heads so quickly that they barely had time to turn around before Luke was standing behind them, Light Sabre retrieved and in hand and ready to fight. Luke didn't even give them time to process what had happened, he simply attacked, however, instead of using the Force to guide his strikes, he used it to strengthen them. He put incredible amounts of power into each one, knocking the Imperial Guards aside as if they were nothing. But they didn't stay down for long. Very rapidly they were back up, increasing the ferocity in their attacks; before, they had simply been holding Luke off and with relative ease. Now the young Jedi actually presented a threat to them and they were forced to fight more fiecely.

They charged at Luke simultaneously, spears poised to strike, but with one quick flip of his blade, Luke knocked them aside and launched another attack of his own. Any form of technique or fighting style seemed to have disappeared completely from Luke's mind, instead, he simply used his rage and the Force. His Light Sabre flashed and whirled, meeting every attack the guardsmen threw at him. Luke wasn't even thinking anymore, it was like he was just a spectator in his own body. The monster was in control now.

Luke's blood roared in his ears as the battle intensified. He was actually enjoying it now. He enjoyed the fighting and he especially enjoyed watching the Imperial Guards try in futility to block his attacks. He liked feeling superior for once, he liked wielding power.

There were only two guards left now. The others lay unmoving on the floor. The two guards left had backed off considerably. They knew how dangerous their opponent was now. To their surprise, Luke came out of his fighting stance and deactivated his Light Sabre. _What is he doing?_ Thought the remaining guards cautiously. _Is he giving up?_ Luke allowed his Light Sabre to slip from his fingers. It landed with a dull thud on the floor of the chamber. The sound echoed eerily in the silence.

A dangerous smile played on the edge of Luke's lips and very slowly he raised his arm, his finger tip pointed directly at the guards. The guards shifted on their feet uncomfortably, their minds whirring, trying to work out what their opponent planned to do.

Luke focused on his anger allowing it to build. The monster reminded him of how the Empire had taken his home and everything he cared about from him. It reminded him of how no matter how many friends he thought he had, he was still standing here and facing these deadly enemies alone. It whispered in Luke's mind, exploiting his every insecurity until Luke could no longer contain his rage. Luke screamed as the power of the dark side raced along his arm and arched forward in the form of perfect Sith Lightning. It struck the guards within moments and had them writhing in pain on the floor, weapons disguarded. The monster laughed with glee, satisfied by the pain it had caused. Very soon, the guards stopped moving. The pain had been so great that they had fallen unconscious. _Stop,_ Luke told himself, wrestling for control of his own body. However, his body didn't respond to his command. _They are defeated, stop!_ Luke tried desperately to regain control. _No,_ hissed the monster. _We must kill them._ The Sith Lightning intensified. _No!_ Shouted Luke inside his head. He allowed his anger to disipate and without the fuel it required, the monster could do nothing with Luke's body. The Sith Lightning ceased and Luke's arm dropped like a lead weight at his side. His chest heaved and his breathing was irratic. Pleased with it's work, the monster receded back into the shadows of Luke mind.

Once Luke had his breathing under control, he looked up and was shocked to see the carnage that lay around him. All six of the Imperial Guard they strewn across the floor like toys. _How did I..._ Luke asked himself, trying to recall the battle. However, after he had been backed into a corner, his memories were fuzzy and dream-like; though he remember the Sith Lightning clearly.

"Obi-wan..." he whispered. "What have I done?"

Once again, their was no answer from his old master. _Maybe he doesn't want to talk to me anymore,_ he thought, his emotions riddled with guilt. _After this..._ Luke scanned the room and the destruction only he could have caused. In the silence, the resonant sound of slow clapping began.

"Well done," said Inari, emerging from the shadows. "You utilized your dark abilities well."

Upon seeing Inari, Luke's anger flared once more.

"You were just watching?! You were there the entire time and all you did was watch while I almost died?!"

"I was going to step in if I thought things got out of hand. However, I wanted to test your abilities. I knew the only way to get you to use the dark side if your very life was in danger... if you had no other choice."

Luke's chest was still heaving from the battle as he glared at Inari. Finally he said,

"I don't want this. I don't want to learn anything more about the dark side. It's evil and so are you."

"I wouldn't be so quick to make that decision if I were you. Especially if you want to defeat the Emperor and save your friends... your Rebellion... the entire galaxy." Luke look confused.

"What do you mean." He asked cautiously. Inari sighed.

"You see these?" She said, pointing at one of the disguarded trademark spears the Imperial Guard was always armed with. "These are charged with energy from the Emperor himself... and you could only defeat them when you used the dark side of the Force. When you used the light you barely survived. How do you think you will fair against the actual Emperor? Forget our stupid bet, the only way to defeat him is by fighting fire with fire. Darkness with darkness."

This news struck Luke like a hammer.

"No," he said, shaking his head frantically. "There has to be another way... that can't be the only way!"

"Sorry Skywalker, but you were doomed to walk a dark path from the beginning. There is no other way."


	18. Spy

Suddenly, Inari sensed something. _A life form?_ She asked herself. _No, two of them. _She glanced at Luke who was still coming to terms with the information she had just revealed to him. _He's too distressed to noticed_, she thought. Discreetly, she glanced around the room, trying to locate the two beings that were watching them. Her gazed fell to the shadows in one of the three corridors that branched off from the chamber her and Luke were standing in. Her eyes narrowed, however, it was too dark to see anything clearly. However, she could just about make out the silhouette of two humanoids, one much smaller than the other. She focused on using the Force and closed her eyes. _Who are you,_ she asked mentally. _They seem... familiar._ Suddenly, her eyes snapped open as she realized who had been watching them. _The Smuggler and the Wookie!_ Her mind raced._ How much did they see...?_ Very slowly and carefully, Inari sensed the pair backing away down the corridor. A few moments later, Han's voice crackled over Luke's comms. unit.

"Uh, hey Ki-... uh, Luke... Did you, uh, get the second part of the key?"

For a moment, Luke didn't reply. He just continued starring at the floor, his eyes vacant.

"Uh, Luke?" Asked Han again. Luke cleared his throat, and slowly replied.

"Yeah, we got it."

"Great," said Han. "Sorry we couldn't be there to help. We, uh, ran into some, uh, trouble on the way to you. Yeah, we got tied up in a fight. We'll uh, meet you back at the ship, okay? It's on the roof of this building."

Luke nodded slowly.

"Okay." He said with no real emotion in his voice. The comms. unit fell silent and Luke still didn't move or speak.

"We should go now." Said Inari. "That battle of yours wasn't exactly quiet; there will be more guards on the way up here."

At the prospect of another battle and the possibility of Luke repeating what he had just done, Luke mind suddenly woke up.

"Let's go." He said, quietly.

"I think I saw an elevator that will probably take us to the roof in the corridor we came down." Said Inari, beginning to walk towards the hallway.

Luke nodded and followed.

Down another of the buildings many corridors and passages, Han and Chewie walked in silence. After some time, Han broke it.

"Do you think Luke will believe us about the fight I said we got into?"

Chewie grunted in reply.

"I know it doesn't look like we've been in a fight but what did you want me to say, huh?! 'Hey Luke, we were watching you the whole time while you fought like a kriffin' Sith.' Yeah, I'm sure he'll love that, Chewie."

Just thinking about the battle they had witnessed between Luke and the Imperial Guard made Han angry... because he didn't understand how or why Luke had done what he did. _Jedi don't have those kinds of abilities, _thought Han. _But I know who does._ A ghostly image of Inari floated into his mind, followed, even more disturbing by an image of Darth Vader. Han swallowed. _No,_ Han told himself. _Luke's not like them._

Chewie grunted.

"Look Chewie, this is Luke we're talking about; there is no way we saw what we thought we saw. It's... it's impossible." Han wished he felt as confident as he sounded. Chewie growled something in reply.

"Come on Chewie, it's Luke. He's the nicest kid we know. There's just no way he would-"

Chewie interrupted him with a grunt.

"Yeah... I remember the thing that happened in the cockpit... but come on, everyone gets angry sometimes."

Chewie growled again.

"Yeah, I know. Luke never gets angry like that because... I don't know, Jedi stuff."

Chewie grunted.

"I know, it's Inari that's doing this to Luke. It's like she can see inside his head." Han sighed. "I knew it was a bad idea leaving Luke alone with her. It was, what? Just ten minutes with her and he starts blowing stuff up with kriffin' Sith Lightning!" Han looked down at his feet. "All I want is this stupid mission to be over so Luke or us never have to see that psycho she-devil again." He said angrily.

Chewie growled in agreement. _I just hope Luke doesn't decide to leave with her, _thought Han to himself.

The pair made it to the roof without a hitch. No red-cloaked soldiers with spears got in their way, nor did they run into any unsuspecting senators going about their business. They reached the roof just in time to seem Luke and Inari emerge from another maintenance hatch on the far side. It made Han feel sick seeing those two together, so cool in each other company. _They're Jedi and Sith! _Han said to himself. _They're meant to be mortal enemies. _He scowled at Inari. _At least I hope he's still Jedi, _he added as an after thought. The image of Luke using the Sith Lightning had burnt itself into Han's mind making him doubt even more that the Luke he saw was still the Luke he knew.

"Hey Han!" Called Luke, waving. Han's breathing accelerated and his eyes widened slightly as he focused on him. For the first time since he'd met the kid, he actually felt a flicker of fear in his presence.

"Oh, uh... hey, uh, Luke." Replied Han, stumbling over almost every word.

Inari narrowed her eyes, scanning Han. _He seems... almost scared... of Luke._ Inari's expression suddenly hardened. _They must have seen the battle. _


	19. Truth

Han, Chewie, Luke and Inari returned to the Millennium Falcon after giving back the borrowed ship to Han's 'friend'.

"I've got no idea what he was talking about Chewie, I gave the ship back to him, didn't I?" Said Han, holding his hands up in innocence.

Chewie grunted in reply.

"Okay sure, it had a few scratches but nothing he couldn't buff out, right?"

The Wookie began making a noise that resembled laughter.

"Not that many asteriods hit it." Protested Han. "Besides the guy lives on a space station in the middle of asteroid field, what the hell did he expect to happen, huh?" He shot back, walking up the boarding ramp to his ship. Chewbacca followed, still laughing.

"Anyway Chewie, I cut the guy a fair deal," continued Han as he entered the cock pit. "If he didn't charge me for the minor damage to his ship then you wouldn't rip his arms off. You can't ask for a better deal than that."

"How was the mission?" Asked a female voice from the pilots chair.

Han turned his head sharply, but when he saw who had spoken, his expression quickly soured.

"Oh, so you decided to come back did you, your Worship?" He said, glaring at Leia.

"Han, I know you're angry but-"

"Me? Angry? Oh no your Worshipfulness, I'm totally fine. I hope you had a nice time sight-seeing or whatever while we were busy infultrating the centre of the Empire and stole something from the Emperor's personal trinket box!" Han fumed.

"Han, I had a good reason." Protested Leia, standing quickly.

"Oh yeah? Well what was this good reason of yours, huh Princess?"

Leia openned her mouth and then closed it again and for a fraction of a second, barely long enough for anyone to see, her gaze flickered over to Inari.

"I will tell you later." Leia said quietly.

Han threw his arms up in the air in frustration and disbelief.

"Can you believe her, Chewie? I swear, these royal types think they can do whatever they want, whenever they want."

"Han! You know that's not-"

However, Luke cut Leia off.

"Look guys, I want to know where Leia went too but right now I am too tired so I'm going to go to my room." He said, turning quickly and leaving. Inari was quick to follow.

"As much as the sight of you arguing pleases me, I am going to enjoy some quiet time away from _you_ in the Main Hold." She said, looking pointedly at Han with a cold scowl which Han returned in equal measure.

"Chewie, go with her." Said Han.

The Wookie growled.

"Why? Because I trust her about as much as I trust a Hutt and I want someone to keep an eye on her, that's why."

Chewie grumbled something unintellegiable but obeyed, following after the Sith apprentice to the Main Hold. The door slide shut after Chewie as he disappeared down the hall and Han took his seat in the pilot's chair and began flicking switches and pushing buttons. Leia took a seat in the co-pilot's chair.

"Han?" Said Leia urgently.

"Yeah, what?" Said Han, not looking at her.

"It's later."

"What?" He asked, still not bothering to even glance in her direction.

"I said I would tell you later about what I was doing on Coruscant- why I couldn't come with you. Well, later is now."

"Oh. Okay, so what were you doing?" He asked, however Leia could hear in his tone that he no longer cared. _He doesn't even care where I was,_ thought Leia in frustration. _He's just hurt that I left in the first place._

"I was meeting someone." Stated Leia. Han noticeably stiffened.

"Oh... uh, right." Han paused for a moment. "You mean like, maybe, a date?" He said, trying to sound casual.

"What? No, I was meeting-"

"Oh good... cuz' you know, Coruscanti guys really aren't your type."

Leia raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, and Corellian guys are?" She replied with a highly skeptical look on her face.

"Well, you know we're not all scoundrels. Some of us know how to treat a lady... maybe even a Princess..." Said Han, smiling slightly.

"Why you half-witted-!" Leia began to shout.

"Okay okay! Maybe not..." There was a long silence. Finally Han spoke, "So, who were you meeting on Coruscant." For a moment Leia didn't reply, but eventually she said,

"A spy."

"A spy?" Asked Han. "One of our spies from the Rebel Alliance?"

Leia nodded.

"Not just any spy though. This spy is one of the very few people in the Empire who has access to the old Jedi Archives."

"Jedi Archives? What the hell do you want with the Jedi Archives?" Asked Han, his fingers flying over the console and all but ignoring Leia and her story.

"I needed to find a name."

"Oh yeah, whose name?"

"Obscuro."

Now Leia had Han's undivided attention. Han put the ship on auto-pilot and turned his chair to face Leia.

"I presume you're talking about our friendly guide."

Leia nodded.

"From the minute I found out that she knew where the Kaiburr Crystal was I was suspicious of her, but since we had no other way to find the Crystal, we had to trust her. But when Luke started acting strange, I thought I'd do a little research into Inari Obscuro because, what do we really know about her? All we know is that she is a Sith apprentice and knows where the Kaiburr Crystal is." Han nodded. "So, I used the Holo-communicator to contact General Rieekan and run a search in the Rebel Alliance's main database for anyone under the name 'Obscuro'."

"Oh yeah, and what did it come up with." Asked Han.

"That's the reason I had to get access to the Jedi Archives. The search came up with nothing; there is no one in our database with the name Obscuro and I knew the only database with more information that ours is-"

"The Jedi Archives." Finished Han.

"Exactly." Said Leia. "I asked the spy to run the same search General Rieekan did."

"Okay so did that search come up with anything?"

Leia paused, then glanced at the door as if she was afraid someone might be listening.

"Han, according to the most reliable databank in the galaxy, there is no one that ever lived with the name Obscuro."

Han's eyes widened.

"So who exactly is leading us to the Kaiburr Crystal?" He asked slowly. Leia shook her head.

"I don't know. All I do know is now I know even less about her than when I started." She said, frustratedly. Then she sighed and said, "Well maybe I was wrong about her anyway. Maybe she got nothing to do with Luke acting strangely."

"Uh, nope. You're definitely not wrong." Said Han quietly, looking out into space. Leia frowned.

"Han, what do you mean?"

Han looked down at his feet, hesitating.

"Well... when we were trying to get into the Senate Building, we got separated. I was with Chewie and Luke, he was with Inari. They were only alone for ten, fifteen minutes and then the next time I saw him he was..." Han trailed off, caught up in the images replying in his head.

"Han?"

"The next time me and Chewie saw Luke, he was fighting. He was up against _six _of the Imperial Guard and-"

"_Six _of the Imperial Guard? Are you sure Luke is okay? How did he survive?" Asked Leia, worried tones seeping into her voice.

"I know, when I saw him I thought he was bantha fodder. All six of them had him backed into a corner and I was about to jump in but then... I don't know. It's like something just clicked in him. One moment he was in the corner and completely outmatched, the next, he had jumped over their heads and was knocking them down like they were nothing."

"Well... that's good isn't is, Han?" Asked Leia, confused.

Han shook his head.

"You didn't see him Leia, he wasn't just fighting like he had got a second wind or had been given a good pep talk. He fought like a demon. It's like I wasn't even watching Luke. It's like he was someone else... and the look on his face; it looked like he was _enjoying _it. In under a minute, he'd got four of them down and then..." Han swallowed hard. This was the part he didn't want to tell. He felt as if telling it to Leia would be like him admitting that he had indeed seen what he had been trying to convince himself he hadn't and also admitting that Luke wasn't the same anymore.

"Han?" Asked Leia. "What happened after that?"

For a moment, Han said nothing. Finally, very quietly, he responded.

"Luke dropped his Light Sabre. I mean, he didn't drop it, he put it down on purpose and for a moment he just stared at the last two guards. Then he raised his hand and-"

Suddenly the cock pit door slid open to reveal a very displeased looking Inari standing behind it. Han stopped talking abruptly.

"I must insist that you stop having this _beast _watch me. His mere scent is unbearable." She hissed. Han glared at her.

"I don't care what you 'must insist' upon. Get out, we're trying to have a conversation here."

Inari narrowed her eyes.

"Well if I have to get out then I suppose you don't want me to tell you that you are going the wrong way." She said smoothly. "The Crystal _is_ on Korriban, in case you had forgotten."

Han glanced at the console and realized that she was unfortunately right. In his rush to hear what Leia had to say, he had made a mistake when setting up the auto-pilot. The ship was currently on a course for Kowak.

"Unless the Smuggler has a date with a Kowakian Monkey-Lizard, I suggest you set the correct course for Korriban."

Han grimaced and turned off the auto-pilot.

"How long will it take to reach it?" Leia asked Han.

"I don't know, a few hours maybe? So plenty of time to get comfortable in such _wonderful _company." He replied, glaring at the Sith apprentice who glared right back with malice in her eyes.


	20. Master

Luke sat in a shadowy corner of his room, his back pressed against the cool metal wall. His eyes were closed and his lips were pressed into a thin line. He blocked out the sound of Han yelling at Inari very loudly on the other side of the ship. He was trying to focus, trying to remember. He had replayed the events of the battle in his head what felt like a million times, but he was still no closer to discovering what he had done in that period were he had given the monster control over his body. Inside his head, the monster laughed at his efforts. _Shut up_, hissed Luke back fiercely. That just made the monster laugh harder. _You spend all this energy on trying to remember what you did; what you let me do. Yet you are afraid to find out_, the monster whispered in the corners of his mind, skulking around in the shadows. Suddenly, Luke felt a great surge in the Force. He opened his eyes and was greeted with the sight his former master's glowing blue form, seated on the end of his bed. _Now he decides to show up_, the monster murmured, quietly, but it was enough to make Luke's expression harden noticeably. If Master Obi Wan had indeed noticed this, he didn't show it.

For a moment, the pair said nothing. The silence was malleable. The monster crept carefully around the edges of Luke's consciousness. It was wary of Obi Wan. It assessed him with great scrutiny.

"Hello, Master." Said Luke finally. His voice was colder than he intended it to be, however, he didn't care.

"I've heard that very same tone, seen that very same look from another of my former students." Obi Wan replied after a moment. "It would appear you have gotten into a rather complicated situation. One that is not easily escaped." Luke said nothing. Instead he looked away. "Even as we speak, I can see the dark side whispering treachery to you." Obi Wan continued.

Finally, Luke caved.

"I don't know how to stop it." He said, his voice almost a whisper. He stared down at his feet, unwilling to look at his old master. Obi Wan nodded slowly and wisely.

"The path to the dark side is like a slope made of sheer ice. Very easy to slip down, near impossible to get back up again."

"I didn't mean for this to happen." Said Luke, still not looking up. "I thought... I thought I could control it. Control the dark side. I thought I could use it to defeat the Emperor. Sure, I made a stupid bet with a Sith saying I wanted to learn about the dark side to prove to her that I was strong enough to control it. But the real reason I did that was to prove to myself that I was strong enough to control it and that would mean I could use it against the Emperor."

"That was a very risky move, Luke. The path to hell is paved with good intentions and the dark side preyed on your self-doubt. You thought you weren't powerful enough to defeat the Emperor without some sort of extra strength. The dark side cannot be controlled, Luke. Those who use it's power are consumed by it. They simply become a tool of the dark side."

"Is that what I am then? A tool of the dark side?"

Obi Wan paused for a moment, as if he was thinking. Finally, he said,

"No. Not yet."

"What do I do?" Pleaded Luke, raising his head to look at his master. His blue eyes shone clearly but they were filled with desperation.

"You are standing on the edge of a great abyss, Luke. Just one action could send you either way; towards the light, or towards the dark. I cannot make the decision for you. You must make the choice yourself which side you will choose." He paused again, before adding. "Just remember though, Luke: you may not believe it, but you possess great power on your own. The Force is strong with you." And with that, he was gone, his form fading into nothingness. Luke was alone in his room once more.

Very slowly, he got up and walked over the the Refresher in the corner of his room. He ran the water until it was cold then splashed it onto his face. He felt like he needed waking up; like he was caught in a dream and it was clinging to his skin, holding him in it. He dried his face and looked into the mirror, however the reflection staring back at him didn't feel like his own. His skin was pale and the areas around his eyes were darker than usual, as if he hadn't slept in days. His eyes themselves looked different too. Instead of their usual pale blue, they looked dark and steely. Almost grey.

"One action could send me either way." Luke murmured staring at his face in the mirror, repeating Obi Wan's words.


	21. Double

Luke was sitting in the same position as he had been for the past two hours. Since Obi Wan had left, Luke hadn't budged from the spot. His eyes were open and blank, staring into nothingness and all the while, the monster whispered in his head. However, now it seemed to have gone quiet. Carefully, Luke mentally checked himself; searching the corners of his mind for were the monster could be hiding. He found nothing. Cautiously, he got to his feet. Still the monster remained silent. _Maybe it got tired, _Luke thought to himself, however, he didn't really believe that. The dark side never slept; it never wavered in it's mission to spread chaos, strife and pain. _I wonder where we are now,_ he thought. _Or where we are going._ He wracked his brains and a residual memory of something Inari had said earlier caught his attention. _Korriban._ Korriban, the Sith homeworld, if the there was anywhere in the galaxy were the dark ruled completely over the light, that was the place. Luke shuddered at the thought. Obi Wan's words replayed in his head: One action could send you either way. _Maybe going to Korriban was the one action,_ Luke hypothesized, darkly. Going to the Sith homeworld sure isn't going to do me any favours. However, Luke knew he couldn't think of that. He had a mission that needed to be completed, no matter the results. _No matter what it does to me._

Luke started towards the door and was just standing before it when white hot pain blossomed in his head. The pain was so great he couldn't even stand; he collapsed on the floor, clutching his skull. Luke only just resisted the urge to scream. The pain was so great, he couldn't even see. His eyes were blurred and unfocused and all he could hear was the monster. However, this wasn't anything like the other times the monster had spoken to him. This time, it was shouting. It's volume seemed to have increased tenfold and it's strength, just the same. Gradually the pain subsided enough for Luke to be able to see again, however his vision was still blurry and every now and then the pain would spike and blind him completely. The air around Luke had become cold and heavy and everywhere, Luke could sense the presence of the dark side. _A place where there is only the dark side,_ Luke managed to think through the pain. _Korriban._

"That's right." Said a disturbingly familiar voice.

It felt like a tremendous effort, but Luke managed to lift his head to look at the speaker. His eyes blurred however, when they cleared, Luke wished looked in the first place. In front of Luke stood... Luke? Standing in front of Luke was almost an exact mirror image of himself. However, there still remained some notable differences. The most obvious one was that this version of Luke wasn't entirely solid. He appeared to be translucent so that Luke, the real Luke, could see right through him to the other side of the room. The other difference were his face and skin. His skin looked pale and deprived of sunlight and the areas around his eyes were a dark, bruised colour. His eyes themselves were what seemed to scare Luke the most. Instead of the usual clear blue Luke was used to seeing in his reflection, this Luke's eyes were bright, acid yellow. The eyes of a Sith.

"Who... who are you?" Luke whispered

The other Luke laughed.

"Don't you recognize me?" He said. "I'm you... though you may be more accustomed to calling me, 'The Monster'." Other Luke smiled dangerously.

"How can you...?" Luke trailed off, staring at this dark version of himself.

"We're on Korriban now, Luke." Said the monster. "The dark side is strongest here, which means I am strongest here. Stronger than you. It is here were you will fall to the dark side and then I won't just look like you, I will be you!"

Suddenly, there was a loud knock at Luke's door. Luke's head whipped round.

"Luke?" Called Han, through the door. "We've arrived on Korriban, can you be ready to go in five? The little psycho says she knows were the Crystal is kept."

For a moment, Luke didn't say anything but eventually he said,

"Okay, I'll be there in a minute." His voice wavered slightly but it seemed to be good enough for Han. Luke listened to his foot steps as he walked back down the corridor. Luke turned back to face the monster, however, it was nowhere to be seen. _Don't worry, I haven't gone far,_ it said inside Luke's head. It wasn't shouting anymore, however, it wasn't whispering like usual either. It just sounded like someone speaking inside his head. The pain subsided nearly completely and Luke shakily got to his feet, using the wall to steady himself. He could feel the monster's presence inside his mind more than ever now. I still have a mission, Luke reminded himself. Taking a deep breath, he strode out of his room and out into the corridor, picking up his Light Sabre on the way.

The echoing of his foot steps in the long corridor gave the eerie impression that there was someone following him. An image of the monster using his face flashed into Luke's mind. He couldn't get those yellow eyes out of his head.

Luke could sense Han, Leia and Chewie had already left the ship, so he made his way towards the entrance ramp. Once he reached it, he stood at the top of it, staring down onto the surface of Korriban. He took a deep breath. Inside his head, he could feel that the monster was itching to leave the ship, drawn to the planet's power. It was then that Luke promised that no matter what happened to him, he would complete the mission. He would find the Kaiburr Crystal.


	22. Key

In some ways, Korriban reminded Luke of Tattooine; it was unbearably hot and the geography consisted of desert as far as the eye could see and beyond. However, it was there that the similarities ended. Despite the intense heat of the planet, Luke couldn't help feeling cold. He felt like there was a dark presence hanging over him, chilling him to his core. Shielding his eyes against the sunlight, Luke surveyed the landscape. The red sand seemed to cover everything save the sun baked rocks that appeared like islands all over the desert. In the distance, some great structures jutted out of the land.

"Those are the temples." Said Inari, looking in the same direction as Luke. "Your Kaiburr Crystal is in there."

"Do you know the way there?" Asked Leia.

"I wouldn't be much of a guide if I didn't." Replied the Sith apprentice. "Follow me."

With that, Inari started walking towards the structures and the others had no choice but to follow. After approximately ten minutes of silent walking, Chewie whined.

"Yeah, I know it's hot, buddy." Replied Han. "And that thick fur of yours isn't doing you any favours."

"I could slit his throat," Said Inari, sweetly. "Then I doubt he would be worried about his fur."

Chewie growled at this statement and Han whipped out his blaster and pointed it at the back of Inari's head. She immediately stopped walking.

"Yeah, that's right you little psycho. If you make a move which isn't walking forwards, if you so much as look at any of us, you won't live for more than a minute afterwards." Han growled, pressing the blaster to the base of Inari's skull. Very calmly, Inari replied,

"I don't think you would live very long either." She said. Han felt something cold and metal being pressed against his stomach. While Han had been focusing on the spot on Inari's head where the barrel of the blaster was aimed, he hadn't notice Inari remove her Light Sabre hilt from her belt and, reaching behind her back, press the business end of it against him. Her finger hovered over the button which ignited it. If she did indeed activate her Light Sabre, it would skewer him without her even needing to move. This stalemate between the Smuggler and the Sith held for about five tense minutes, before Han, very slowly, withdrew his blaster and put it back in its holster. Inari continued walking forwards as if nothing had even happened.

Leia fell into step besides Luke.

"This mission is going to end with those two trying to kill each other." She said.

Luke nodded, not really paying attention. He was too distracted by his own mind and the pull of the dark side. The longer he stayed on Korriban, the stronger the pull got and the more inclined he was to listen to the monster talking in his head who now distinctively sounded like Luke. This gave the impression that the words of the monster were Luke's own thoughts. He shook his head rigorously, in an attempt to clear it. It didn't work. The monster laughed at his attempts. The dark side was almost tangible here. Luke could feel it all around him, clinging to his skin and pressing against the edges of his mind.

"Luke?" Asked Leia, worried. She hadn't seen Luke for the entire duration of their flight to Korriban and Leia knew there was something wrong with him just by looking at him. His skin was pale and his eyes were dark and stormy. "Luke?" She asked again when he didn't reply.

"I'm fine, Leia." Was all he offered in reply before continuing to walk on in silence. In front of them, one of the great Sith temples loomed. It was made of dusty red stone, worn by the sand over thousands of years. The great doors that served as the temples only obvious entrance were huge, at least twenty metres high and made of what appeared to be dark obsidian.

Inari withdrew the half of the key which she had acquired from Coruscant and Leia handed her the piece which they had retrieved from Naboo. Very carefully, she fitted them together. They formed at perfect hexagon, with six arrows beaming out from the centre and the points of which fitting into each of the six corners of the shape. It was the symbol of the Sith, made of black onyx with a blood red crystal in the centre, where the ends of the arrows converged. Inari approached the doors carefully, holding the key out in front of her. She touched in against the stone of the doors briefly and a moment later, a hole, the exact size and shape of the key, appeared in the door approximately a metre and a half up it. Inari glanced back at her audience, who were all watching eagerly, waiting for her to open the doors. Facing the key hole once more, Inari smiled and pushed the key into the gap and stood back.

For a moment, nothing happened. The group waited in silence. Suddenly, the ground rumbled and the doors shuddered, a few stray rocks crumbling and falling over head. Inari jumped back a few metres and the others followed suit. None of them really wanted to have come all this way just to be knocked unconscious by a falling rock at the last hurdle. There was a loud, thundering creek that served to shake the group even more, and very slowly, the doors began to open. They revealed at great cavern, the ceiling of which was so high that it was lost in darkness. At the other end of the room, looking exactly as it did in the hologram, sat the Kaiburr Crystal on a pedestal atop a flight of tall steps.

"There is your Crystal." Said Inari. Very cautiously, the group walked into the chamber. There footsteps echoed around the vast room. Then came another sound; a sound which filled Luke with cold fear and dread. They all froze in their tracked, staring up the steps to the source of the sound. It was the sound of someone breathing in and out… through a Respirator. A piece of equipment made famous by the one infamous for wearing one, the very same man now walking calmly out from the shadows behind the pedestal, black cape billowing out behind him. Darth Vader.


	23. Revelations

Han was the first to react. Just as he had done on Bespin, he whipped out his blaster and aimed a clear shot at the Sith Lord's masked head. As on Bespin, it didn't work. The half man, half machine raised a black, gloved hand and deflected to blast straight back at Han's head. Han dove to the side, the shot just missing, rolling into kneeling.

"Vader." Growled Luke, much more darkly than he had intended. However, the hatred flaring up in his chest had other ideas. Luke ignited his Light Sabre and stepped forward, holding the green blade in front of him with full intent to attack viciously. "Give us the Kaiburr Crystal."

Very slowly, very calmly, Darth Vader reacted out and plucked the Crystal off the pedestal. The tension in the room increased tenfold. For a moment, Vader examined it, turning it over in his hand. Then, in one smooth, swift movement, he threw it hard against the cavern wall.

"I have no use for an item so worthless." He said. "The true weapon I seek is far more powerful."

Suddenly, Luke, Leia, Han and Chewie were at a loss. _If Vader was never after the Crystal, then what could he want, _thought Leia. _What could possibly be more powerful? _She was about to ask this, however, Vader hadn't finished talking.

"You did well to bring them to me, Lyn."

"Thank you, Lord Vader." Replied Inari, a mischievous smile blossoming on her face as the others turned to stare at her.

"Vader is your master?!" Exclaimed Han. Everyone seemed paralyzed with shock; this was why no one moved when Inari walked calmly over to stand by Vader's side.

"Not exactly." She said, still smiling. "To have a master at all, I would actually have to be a Sith apprentice."

They stood in stunned silence however Luke was the first to recover from the revelations.

"If you're not a Sith apprentice," he said cautiously. "Then what are you?"

Inari smile broadened noticeably before she swiftly pulled off the glove on her right hand and slid back the panel to reveal the inner workings of her cybernetic appendage. Between two wires, sat a large red button which, after a sly glance at the crew of the Falcon, she pressed firmly. Almost immediately, her entire right arm seemed to disassemble itself, become a mass of moving metal plates that rearranged themselves to form the deadly-looking metal arm of a Juggernaut droid. The girl flexed the thick metal fingers then bowed low and said with a tone on grandeur,

"Arden Lyn, Emperor's Hand assigned to Darth Vader, at your service."

The silence that followed this statement was malleable.

"Now, Lyn," said Vader, breaking quiet. He had allowed her to have her fun, but now it was time for business. "Kill him."

"My pleasure." She purred, launching herself at Luke, igniting her scarlet Light Sabre in mid-flight. Luke met her blade with his own in a shower of white sparks.

"Luke." Shouted Leia and Han in unison, running to his aid with Chewie hot on their heels. However, that was not part of Lord Vader's plan. With one flick of his wrist, all three were held in mid-air by their throats.

"You will not interfere." Said Vader, clearly.

Leia coughed, struggling against the grip around her neck, however, she quickly noticed, it was not strong enough to kill her. Leia knew very well that Vader could easily dispatch all three of them with ease if he so chose. _So why isn't he,_ she asked herself. _Why does he want us alive?_

Below them, Luke and Arden were duelling furiously.

Arden swung her Light Sabre at Luke head, only narrowly missing it as Luke ducked and launched an attack of his own. Arden parried the blow and took advantage of Luke's open defence to use her Juggernaut droid arm to punch Luke in the stomach. Luke coughed, the wind knocked out of him and only just managed to role away so Arden launched another barrage of attacks.

"So you worked for Vader all along?" He asked, panting and launching another attack. Arden laughed.

"Didn't you find it suspiciously convenient when just as your Rebel Alliance learnt of the Emperor's 'plans' for the Kaiburr Crystal, a person who just so happened to know exactly how to find it turns up?"

Luke said nothing. He was too focused on blocking Arden's attacks with his failing defence.

"The Empire never had any plans for the Kaiburr Crystal. Vader just need a way for me to get close to you so your Rebellion was fed the information that the Emperor was planning to destroy you using the Crystal." Arden dodged another swing from Luke, flipped over his head and slashed his shoulder. Luke yelled out in pain, hot blood running down his back. He turned quickly, just in time to block another of Arden's relentless attacks.

From above, Leia watched in horror as Luke battled, the fabric of his clothing around his left shoulder stained red.

"Why get Inari-, I mean Arden to bring us here if you are just going to kill him?!" Screamed Leia at Vader.

Vader, who had been watching the fight also, turned slowly to look at her. Leia felt cold under the power of his gaze.

"Do you not yet understand, Princess?" He said, his voice dark. "Lyn was sent to you to draw Luke to the dark side, to put him in situations where he would have no choice but to utilize its power. Only when he knows the true power of the dark side, will he join me. Together, we will defeat the Emperor and rule the galaxy. Luke is more powerful than anyone can imagine. Luke will help me. Luke will be my weapon!"

"He'll never join you." Shouted Leia defiantly. Fighting against the choking grip on his neck, Han attempted to speak.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Princess." He said. "Back on the ship, when I was telling you what I saw on Coruscant. Sith Lightning, Leia. He used Sith Lightning."

Leia blinked. Suddenly, she couldn't breathe and it wasn't because of the pressure around her throat.

"That's impossible." She half whispered, half choked.


	24. Indecision

Arden's Light Sabre hit Luke's hard, forcing him to one knee. His shoulder was bleeding badly and had rendered his left arm near useless. Arden raised her Light Sabre high, ready to strike the final blow and suddenly, time seemed to slow down. Arden's arms moved slowly and out of the corner of his eye, Luke saw Leia's kicking against the force holding her in the air had slowed too. Everything around him had suddenly gone to half its normal speed. Luke raised his head, looking around curiously. Behind Arden, he saw something that made his blood run cold. Standing just behind Arden's shoulder, stood the monster, wearing Luke's distorted face. It's eyes glowed yellow and it's skin was sickly pale.

"You can't win this battle." It said. "Not without me."

Luke shook his head furiously.

"No!" He said. "I will not use the dark side again."

"I don't think you have a choice." It laughed. "I can feel your hatred for you father. Your hatred for the girl for lying and manipulating you so easily. You can barely control it, can you?"

Luke said nothing. Instead, he stared at the floor, every part of him denying what he knew was true.

"You're angry at yourself for allowing yourself to be so easily played and now you are exactly where Vader wants you to be. I can feel your rage, Luke." It whispered. "And only your rage can save you."

Inside Luke's head, Obi-Wan's words replayed over and over again. _One move you send you either way. _Luke closed his eyes. _What if this is the move. What if this is exactly what Vader wants? _He thought desperately.

The monster laughed.

"So what if it is?" Hissed the monster. "What if it is what he wants and what if it isn't. Either way, without the power of the dark side you will die here. This isn't about Vader, this is about how much you want to live."

Luke blinked. He didn't like this new perspective.

"The Rebels need you, Luke." It whispered. "Only you can defeat the Emperor. If you die now then the Rebellion dies with you."

This was the monster's ultimatum… and it was one Luke couldn't refuse.

"Do it." Luke whispered. He relinquished control over his body; he allowed his rage to be free.

Suddenly, time went back to normal. Arden's crimson blade was cutting through the air at great speed towards his neck. However, Luke was too fast for her. He shot to one side with renewed energy and launched himself in her direction for a new attack. Arden only just managed to block it. Luke swung again, harder and faster. He pushed Arden backwards with his attacks until he eventually had the opportunity to trip her. She fell hard on her back and her Light Sabre flew out of her hand. She stared up at him, eyes wide.

Luke smiled darkly as he plunged his Light Sabre into her right shoulder. Her scream was piercing. Luke held his blade there for a few moments, enjoying her pain then quickly, he removed it and, using the Force, flung her high up against the cavern wall and held her there. She struggled fanatically, like a trapped animal but it was to no avail. Luke deactivated his Light Sabre, clipping it on to his belt then very slowly, began to walk towards her. He smiled as he raised his other hand. It crackled with blue-purple lightning.

"Luke." Whispered Leia, too quiet for anyone to hear. _That's not Luke, _something told her. _That is very very far from being Luke._

Luke unleashed the Sith Lightning with all the force he could muster. It snaked towards Arden, striking her with a shower of sparks. Her scream echoed around the cave.

"Shut up." He hissed, maliciously. He was fed up of the sound of her voice. All she had spoken to him since the moment they had met was lies and he had believed every single one of them and for that, he hated her. The lightning intensified as his anger grew. Arden stopped screaming. In fact, she stopped moving entirely.

Luke smiled in satisfaction as he allowed her to drop to the ground with a dull thud. He felt exhausted, sinking down to one knee to catch his breath.

Behind him, he heard the rhythmic fall of heavy foots steps. _Vader._ However, Lord Vader's presence no longer made him feel fear. Now, to Luke, Vader was a challenge.

"You have done well, my son." He said, coming to a halt behind Luke and placing a strong hand on Luke's shoulder. "Now that you know the power of the dark side, you must see that it is your destiny to help me destroy the Emperor. To rule the galaxy by my side. Join me, Luke and we shall rule."

Luke's breathing was slow and hard. Inside his own head, another battle was being waged between the monster and the part of himself that was still Jedi.

"There is nothing left for you here, my son." Continued Vader. He could sense Luke's indecision and he knew only a few carefully chosen words would turn him to his side. "Look to your so called 'friends'. They look at you in fear. They hate you because they cannot understand the power you possess. They fear it and they fear you."

Luke was unable to stop himself. Just for a moment, his eyes were drawn to his friends, still suspended in mid-air. Vader was right. Luke could see the fear in their eyes and he could sense it too. This just made the monster stronger.

"Sometimes, those closest to you can be the ones holding you back the most." Said Vader.

_Give in to the dark side, _shouted the monster inside Luke's head. It repeated the phrase again and again, barely leaving any room for Luke to think about anything else. However, a voice that sounded an awful lot like Obi-Wan broke through the cloud of darkness inside his mind. _You must choose, Luke. I cannot help you make this decision, however, you must remember, you possess great power, without the dark side. You have the power to defeat the Emperor on your own. It is your destiny. _And then, Obi-Wan was gone and the monster resumed it's chant. _If you don't join the dark side then Vader will destroy you and your friends. You will all die here, _it hissed. Luke closed his eyes, trying to think. He took a very deep breath. He had made his decision.


	25. Darkness

Luke's mind was blank. His choice was made and he knew in his heart there was no going back.

"What is your choice, my son?" Rumbled Vader, staring down at him. Above, Leia and Han watched on in horror.

Luke's chest was still heaving from the battle, making his voice sound deep and breathless.

"I… choose…"

_He wouldn't, _thought Leia. _Luke is a Jedi, he won't fall for Vader's tricks._

Luke looked up and into the blank eyes of his father's coal coloured mask.

"Darkness."

Leia couldn't breathe and it wasn't because of the grip on her neck. _He wouldn't, he wouldn't, he wouldn't. _Leia repeated the phrase in her head like a mantra as she watched Luke rise to stand before Vader.

If his face hadn't been restricted by his accursed mask, Vader would have smiled, maybe even laughed. He looked down at his son and Luke stared right back at him, his eyes dark and stormy.

"A wise decision." Said Vader. "But your loyalty must be proved."

With a sudden rushing sensation, Leia, Han and Chewie found themselves crumpled on the floor. They gasped, glad to have air flowing freely into their lungs.

"Kill them." Said Vader, simply.

Leia heard footsteps moving towards her and she managed to raise her head, fighting the exhaustion the partial strangling had caused, just enough to see Luke walking towards them very slowly.

"Luke." She whispered, her throat still not quite working. "Stop."

"I'm sorry, Leia." Said Luke very calmly, too calmly. "But the dark side is my new home and because of that, I must destroy my old one."

"Traitor!" Shouted Han. "Why you traitorous little-" Han was cut off by a suddenly extreme pressure around his throat.

"Luke!" Screamed Leia, seeing the life being choked out of the smuggler. "Luke, please! Sto-" Leia didn't get the chance to finish as the same pressure closed around her neck, cutting off all air completely. Chewie roared wildly but Luke soon silenced him too.

Leia tried in vain to force air into her lungs, but to no avail. She stared into Luke's dark eyes, sending a silent plea. However, Luke didn't move, nor did he release his grip on their necks.

Suddenly, the cavern around them began to shake violently. Rocks and debris fell from the ceiling, landing on the cave floor with thuds and crashes that only made the cavern shake more.

Inside Luke's head, the last part of him that was still good, still Luke, fought with all its might against the will of the dark side and the monster that dominated most of his mind. _Last chance, _thought Luke desperately. _To save them._

The cave was breaking apart, piece by piece. Stone tumbled and cracked, missing the caverns current occupants by sheer luck.

Leia, Han and Chewie felt the grip around their neck loosen, then disappear entirely. Leia stood as quickly as she could, however the shaking floor seemed determined to keep her from doing so.

"Han?!" She screamed over the thunderous noise. "Chewie?!"

"Leia?!" Shouted back Han, stumbling towards her. "I don't know what's going on but we ain't sticking around to find out! Come on!" He grabbed Leia's wrist, pulling her towards the rapidly closing cavern entrance.

"Wait!" Leia shouted back. "What about Luke." She turned, tugging against Han to see Luke. He was standing in the middle of the room, eyes closed and hands balled up into fists. "Luke…" Whispered Leia.

"Are you kidding, he just tried to kill us!" Yelled Han.

"And now he is trying to save us!" Leia replied with equal volume. "He may have chosen Vader over us but a part of him is still… him. Part of him is still Luke and that part is collapsing the cave so we can escape."

"Yeah, well believe what you want, Princess. We're getting outta here right now. Chewie? Chewie! Leave Luke, we're going!"

Chewie roared back in protest but had no choice but to follow Han as he dragged Leia along with him. Once they made it out into open air, they still didn't stop running. They ran for about half a mile before they finally came to a halt, chests heaving and breath hitching, and looked back. The spot where the cavern had been was now obscured by a huge cloud of red dust.

"Luke…" Whispered Leia again.

"Leia, I don't know what you aren't getting but he just tried to _kill _us. He's not Luke anymore."

"He just saved us, Han! You think that cave collapsed by itself? Luke may say he's with Vader, part of him may even believe that he is, but some part of him is still Luke. Vader tricked him and we have to save him! He's the Rebellion's only hope and he is our friend. We have to save him from Vader."

"Leia, he doesn't need saving from Vader! He chose to join him and I am not walking into the middle of the Empire _again_, especially not for someone who just tried to kill me. Besides, we don't even know if he's alive. With any luck, he and Vader got trapped in there and that will be the last we hear of them."

"How can you say that?! Luke is your friend, one of your best friends."

"And then he joined Vader and _tried to kill me!_ I don't think you are understanding that very well!"

Leia stared at Han in disbelief then she turned her back on him and looked over the sand to the dust rising up into the air. After a while she said,

"You're wrong."

Han rolled his eyes.

"Wrong about what?"

"Luke and Vader. They are alive."

"Oh yeah, and how did you figure that one out, huh?"

Honestly, Leia didn't know herself.

"I just know they're alive." She said. For a moment, she was silent, then she said quietly, "Please, Han. There is still good in Luke, I can feel it. The one who tried to kill us was not Luke and I don't pretend to understand all these things about the Force and the dark side but I know that the dark side warps your mind. Luke isn't thinking straight and for the sake of the Alliance and Luke, we have to save him." She stared at Han with pleading eyes.

"I don't know, Leia…"

"Don't pretend to me that some part of you doesn't hope that Luke will come back with us." Said Leia. "Luke has saved our lives countless times and now it is time for us to save him."

Han stared at Leia, however, his contemplation didn't take long. To him, the answer was obvious.

"Fine. But if I end up as a piece of modern art again, I'm blaming you."

Leia smiled gratefully and in a moment of sheer emotion, she pulled the smuggler into a tight hug. For a moment, Han froze, however after a moment, he hugged her back.

"Thank you." She whispered into his vest.

"Hey, what are smugglers with a ship and a death wish for, huh?" He replied with a crooked smile.

Suddenly releasing how exhausted they were, the remaining crew of the Millennium Falcon slowly made their way back though the desert, following the footsteps they had left only a few hours earlier. Leia looked down at the foot prints that walked next to her own. _Luke._ She thought. She then looked up to the sky, almost as if she expected to see a ship rising from the surface of the planet and shooting up into space, Luke on board. _We're coming for you._

**Hey guys, it's your friendly neighborhood author! I thought I might just give you a heads up on this chapter because this story could easily of ended in the next chapter with all loose ends tied up with Luke leaving with his friends when the cave collapsed and only pretending to turn to the dark side he him and the crew could escape, buutttttt, when I when I was writing for dark Luke, I realized his character was awesome and I just couldn't get rid of him so soon so the story has been extended! Sorry if you were getting bored and wanting this thing to end but I am also having too much of a good time writing for you guys so you get to enjoy this story a little while longer ;) by the way, none of this is in canon so all you faithful nerds can just relax ;)**

**Leave me your reviews if you please and enjoy what I have in store,**

**from Ink**


	26. Loyalty

The crew of the Millennium Falcon were not in high spirits by the time they got back to the ship. They were one crew member down, exhausted and bruised and none of them were in any mood for doing anything too strenuous for several days. However, Leia was too determined to sit down for even a second.

"I'm going use the scanners to see if I can track Vader's ship." She said as soon as she got on board.

"They probably went right back to the Imperial Fleet, got on to a Star Destroyer." Said Han, following Leia through to the cockpit. "Or the second Death Star, in which case I think we should seriously reconsider going after Luke."

Leia ignored this last statement and began flicking switches and pushing buttons on the console.

"If you're not going to be helpful then please leave." Said Leia, shortly. Han huffed and sat down in the pilot's chair.

"Fine, I'll help." He said, a little harshly. For a moment, the only noises that could be heard were the clicks and hums of the Falcon. "You were right." Said Han, suddenly. Leia looked up. "I just did a scan for life forms on the cavern," Han continued. "Didn't find anything so going on that information, I'd say Vader and Luke made it out."

Leia nodded, then she had a sudden thought.

"No life forms at all?" She asked. Han shook his head. "So if there's no life forms, then what happened to Arden?"

"I guess you're right," Said Han. "Damn it, I was hoping the galaxy was rid of that little snake."

Leia nodded, agreeing entirely. "And if she escaped that probably means she's with Vader." She said. "And Luke."

"Well that's just great," said Han, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "This whole thing started because of that little psycho getting inside Luke's head and now Luke's with Arden _and _Vader. I tell you, Princess, if you wanna save Luke so bad then we better be quick about it. Whatever part of Luke you think is still the Luke we know ain't gonna be there for long with those two twisting his head."

Leia knew Han was right. Vader would be able to sense the good still in Luke and she knew Vader wouldn't rest until he had squashed it out.

Suddenly, the console started to beep and whir.

"I've found Vader's ship, I've got a tracking lock on it." Said Leia, her fingers flying over the console, trying to maintain the lock.

"And they're heading for the Imperial Fleet, right?" Said Han, not looking up.

"Unfortunately." Said Leia.

"Told ya." Said Han, unhelpfully.

Leia glared. "We have to move quickly. Get the Falcon in the air and head for Dantooine. According to Rebel Intelligence, the Imperial Fleet is positioned there and that is the way Vader's ship is headed."

Han shook his head, knowing this was a bad idea and started up the engines of the ship.

"Look I know you don't wanna hear this Leia, but maybe Luke doesn't want to come back with us. When he collapsed the cavern, sure he gave us a chance to escape but that doesn't mean he wants us to launch a rescue mission. Besides, we're not exactly equipped to take on Vader and the Empire, even with the entire Alliance behind us." Said Han, steering the ship into the skies of Korriban.

However, Leia didn't yell as Han expected her to. Instead, she said quietly.

"Only he can defeat the Emperor, Han. We need him or else all hope is lost."

"Well didn't Vader say he was going to use Luke against the Emperor? Does it really matter whose side he's on so long as he gets it does?"

"If Luke is on Vader's side when he kills the Emperor, then there won't be peace afterwards! Just another Empire for us to fight against. We need Luke to defeat the Emperor for us, for the Alliance, so we can restore peace afterwards."

"I guess you got a point there." Admitted Han.

"Not to mention Luke is our _friend._ He didn't choose Vader because he wanted to. Arden tricked him and filled his head with lies. We can't just leave him with Vader, we can't abandon him now."

Han nodded, knowing all the words Leia spoke were true.

"I'm still kinda hug up on the fact he tried to strangle the life outta me though." Han said after a while, rubbing his neck.

"That wasn't Luke Han." Said Leia, quietly. "That was… a monster."

The statement was followed with silence, both occupants of the cockpit recalling what had transpired on Korriban. The one thing neither of them could get out of their minds was the calm way Luke had spoken when he said he was going to kill them. _If the kid was acting to throw off Vader when he said that, _thought Han. _He did too much of a good job._

Unbeknownst to Han, Leia was thinking the same thing. _I just hope I'm not wrong about you Luke,_ she thought desperately.

Han broke the silence.

"So what's your master plan to get Luke back, huh?" He asked.

Leia had been thinking about that and she was no closer to figuring it out than she had been when they left Korriban.

"First we need to find which ship Luke is on." She said.

"Shouldn't we try going back to the Alliance?" Asked Han. "If we are going to take on the Empire then don't we need some fire power or something?"

However, Leia shook her head.

"We can't let the Alliance know about this. If they find out Luke joined Vader for no matter how short a time, there is no way they would ever trust him with any mission ever again, much less trust him to defeat the Emperor."

Han knew Leia was right, however, he felt even more uncomfortable about their mission now than he had ten seconds ago.

"So we are going to rescue Luke from the Empire with no back up and minimal weapons? Great idea, your Worship."

"Let's just find where Luke is first, then we can work out a plan from there." Said Leia with a scowl.

Far away, near Dantooine, Vader's shuttle docked on The Executor and out stepped Lord Vader with Luke by his side.


	27. Plan

Luke's mind felt clouded. It was like, instead of thinking, he could only function; his body still in manual control however he didn't feel like the driver. Though he did know something was wrong. Something didn't feel quite right but thanks to his head feeling like it was full of cotton wool, he couldn't quite place what it was. All he could focus on we're the whisperings of the dark side skulking around the edges of his thoughts, subtly trying to influence him.

"Go to the medical bay and have them tend to your injuries." Commanded Vader. Both currently stood on the Star Destroyer Executor, hovering in space with the rest of the Imperial Fleet over Dantooine.

"Yes... Master." Luke didn't know why he had said 'master'. It had just felt like a natural reaction to the command. An instinct.

"Afterwards I will send someone to you to escort you around the Second Death Star and then to the Training Rooms where I shall be waiting." With that, Vader turned smartly on his heel and marched off, barking orders at Stormtroopers as he went.

The medical bay was surprisingly easy to find and strangely, no one questioned his presence as Luke had expected them to. Stormtroopers and Imperial agents alike walked past him without so much as a side long glance.

After the medical droid saw to Luke's shoulder, Luke sat on a bed in one of the many rooms of the medical bay. The medical droid had left, leaving him to his thoughts.

_I hope they bought it, _thought Luke nervously. The trick he'd pulled in the cavern on Korriban had been a risky one, but it was the only way Vader would believe he was truly turned to the dark side. Only then would he teach Luke it's secrets. _It's not safe for Leia, Han and Chewie to know. It would be too easy for the to give the game away to Vader. _A million voices in Luke's head were screaming that this was a bad idea. However, it was the only way Luke's plan would work.

Thinking of his friends only worsened the fuzzy feeling in his head. He shook it vigorously but that did little to improve it. In the corners of his mind, the dark side whispered a little louder. Luke grimaced. He had pushed back the dark side as much as he could when he had tried to save his friends and as soon as he had left Korriban, the dark side had dramatically quietened down. However, now it was coming back with renewed strength. _I can't let the dark side control me, _thought Luke, his determination flaring. Luke had felt the power of the dark side and that had inspired his new plan though the longer he remained on the Second Death Star, the more he thought his plan was crazy. He knew very well he couldn't fool Vader for very long with his 'completely turned to the dark side' act and it was taking up most of his energy to maintain the mental block that stopped Vader entering his mind and discovering Luke's treacherous plans against the Empire.

Luke's mind wandered back to Han, Chewie and Leia. As much as he hated to admit it, the majority of him had wanted to kill them back on Korriban and it had taken all of his focus on the part of him that was still good to prevent himself from doing so. Luke wasn't even sure what side he was on anymore, Jedi or Sith, Alliance or Empire. However, he was certain of one thing; he would kill the Emperor even if it meant leaving the light side and his friends permanently.

Suddenly, the sliding white door of the room he was sitting in opened. Behind it stood the girl formally know as Inari Obscuro.

Luke glared at Arden, though he hated himself more than he hated her. He hated himself for being so easily lied to and manipulated. Arden seemed to sense what Luke was thinking and said,

"Don't feel bad. I am an excellent liar." Arden smiled and leaned against the door frame. "I believe Vader informed you that you would be assigned someone to show you around?"

"So he sent you?" Luke asked, incredulously. Luke knew what Vader was doing. Vader knew Luke hated Arden and so sent her to stimulate Luke's rage and draw him further to the dark side.

"Yep. I am to show you all of the Death Star that you need to see then take you to the Training Rooms."

Luke glared at Arden for a moment longer then got up and slowly walked past her and out into the corridor. As he did so, he checked his mental block. He had no doubt that if Arden sensed anything remotely 'light side' about Luke, she would report straight to Darth Vader.

The two of them walked in silence and occasionally Arden pointed to things on the way like the cantina, the armory and the TIE fighter bay. After a while, Luke got tired of the relative silence and so decided he may as well try and extract some information.

"If you are _Emperor's _Hand then why do you work for Lord Vader?" He asked. Arden's pace faltered but did not stop.

"The Emperor has no use for me at the moment and saw it fit to assign me to Lord Vader until he requires me once more."

Luke nodded slowly and allowed silence to fall once more. Then he had an interesting thought.

"Your mission given to you by Vader, the one about me being used against the Emperor; surely Vader knows that you will inform the Emperor that Vader is plotting to kill him."

Arden smiled and shook her head. "Vader and I have an unspoken understanding." She said. "I know that if I tell the Emperor, Vader will kill me." Arden then paused before adding. " And I doubt the Emperor thinks I am valuable enough to protect against Vader's wrath. It's a bit like me not telling Vader that you're not really on his side because I know that Vader will kill me for saying a word against his shiny new apprentice." She finished with a sly smile.

Luke 's eyes widened and his heart beat increased rapidly. "I... I don't know what you're talking about." He said quickly, however, that just made Arden laugh.

"I know you're plan Skywalker and I just want to say for the record, it is totally crazy."

After a long paused, Luke replied,

"Why is that?"

Arden smiled. "Am I correct in thinking that you plan to try and take down the Empire from the inside? Using the powers of both the light and the dark side to finally defeat the Emperor? But whilst still remaining true to your 'Jedi' self and returning to your friends?"

Hesitantly, Luke nodded.

She laughed. "A good plan, aside from one detail. Though you may be more resilient to the powers of the dark side than most, there is no escaping it's grasp once it has a hold on you. You are immersed too deeply in it's snare to break away. You can't think clearly can you? The dark side clouds your mind."

Luke hated know Arden was right. He couldn't think clearly, especially when he thought of his friends. The more he tried to think of them, the further away they felt to him and the less he seemed to care about them.

"I can think clearly enough to know what I have to do." He said defiantly. "I will defeat the Emperor."

"And afterwards you will be so immersed in the dark side that you won't want to go back to your friends. You will become the new ruler of the galaxy as that it the nature of the dark side; selfishness, a need for power."


	28. Consiousness

Luke and Arden sat for a long and silent while, waiting for Darth Vader to arrive in the Training Rooms. Luke did his best to ignore her dark presence beside him. After what felt like a millennia, the metal doors to the chamber hissed open and Vader strode in and got straight down to business.

He pressed a button on a small electrical panel and another door slid open to reveal five droids which whirred to life and marched into the centre of the room.

"I will assess your skills with a Light Sabre with the aid of these droids." Said Vader, unemotionally. "Dispatch the with extreme prejudice in what ever way you choose."

Luke frowned. He had been expecting more of a challenge however, all the same, he ignited his Light Sabre and took a fighting stance. The droids seemed to take that as their cue.

With surprising speed, two droids ran at him, wielding Vibro-blades that crackled audibly with electricity. One swung high and the other swung low and it was only thanks to some impressive gymnastics on Luke's part that he was able to avoid being cut in half. Luke landed lightly and took the opportunity of being crouched to take a swing at one of the two droids legs. There was a loud hiss as Luke's blade sliced through the metal, hobbling the droid and causing it to fall side ways, right on to Luke's waiting Light Sabre. He then turned his attention to the remaining four droids, charging at him from all angles. Luke smiled. He was beginning to enjoy this. Utilizing his new favourite move, Luke flipped over the droids heads with ease, cleaving a droids upper body clean in two as he went. The droid fell with a dull clatter and a thud on the ground. Luke stepped round quickly, sensing another attacker nearby. His Light Sabre cut through the droid easily as it ran at him, sending it to the floor like the rest. Only two remained and after only a few seconds of swift and calculated movements, there was only one left standing. Luke turned as the droid dropped to the floor, facing the last one left. However, Luke was caught slightly off guard. Instead of a droid standing behind him, there stood a small, weaponless girl. She didn't move or speak, she just stared at him. Luke didn't falter. He was too in the zone, too immersed in the dark side and the thrill of battle to not finish the job he had started. Luke cut down the girl where she stood, slicing his Light Sabre straight through her without hesitation. The girl's body crumpled to the floor; her form flickering, then turning back to that of the droid.

Luke blinked. It was like he was coming out of a trance. He stared down at the droids body, that now lay in two pieces on the floor. _I knew she was really a droid,_ Luke told himself. _That's why I didn't hesitate to... _Luke shook his head quickly, in a futile attempt to clear it. Each time he touched the dark side, either when the monster spoke to him or during battle, the fuzzier his thoughts and memories became. He tried to recall Yoda and his teachings on Dagobah. _Beware the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force they are. _Luke tried to focus on the memory as it slipped through his mind's grasp. _Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force they are. Path to ultimate power they are. _Luke squeezed his eyes shut just of a second, trying to find the real memory and not the one the dark side had distorted and twisted to its advantage. _Anger, fear, aggression, power._

"You have done well, my son." Said Vader, interrupting Luke's thoughts. "You do not hesitate. You allow the Force to guide you."

Luke knew that by 'guide', Vader meant 'control'. That didn't make Vader any less right. Luke had felt the presence of the Force throughout his battle, pushing him to attack, to kill. He thought he had done a pretty good job of ignoring it, however, Luke feared he was very wrong. _Arden was right, _thought Luke. _It''s too easy for me to just slip into the dark side and it's becoming harder and harder to get out again._

"There will be no more training today." Stated Vader. "You must be tired from your encounter with the Emperor's Hand earlier on Korriban." Vader paused and began walking towards the door. "It was interesting how that cavern collapsed, do you not think?" Vader knew very well that Luke had collapsed the cave himself to save his friends however, Vader also knew Luke was teetering on the edge between dark and light. Vader feared that reprimanding him would only push Luke away when his goal was to draw him further towards the dark side, just enough so Luke couldn't turn back. Besides, he knew he could use Luke's relationship with his friends to his advantage.

"Yeah," said Luke quickly. "Strange." Behind him, Arden stifled a laugh.

"You are free to do what ever you wish with your time for the next few hours. After which, I will find a job for you."

Luke nodded. "Yes, Master."

With that, Vader strode back out of the room with an equal amount of muted grandeur with which he had entered with.

Luke stared after him, his faith in his plan beginning to wane even faster. He could feel the dark side pulling and catching at the edges of his conscious mind. The monster no longer spoke to him; perhaps it felt it didn't have to. Maybe it felt Luke didn't need any more persuasion. Maybe it felt Luke was already too immersed in the dark side to turn back. Luke hoped he was wrong.

Arden watched Luke carefully as he exited through the same door Vader had used ad disappeared down the corridor.


	29. Prisoners

Instead of Vader having to _find _Luke a job, one just so happened to present itself rather conveniently.

Vader flipped on the HoloComm.

"You will report to the detention facilities at once. I have found some use for you down here and it will also give me a chance to assess you skills with the Force at the same time. I am waiting for you." Vader gave the command clearly into the HoloComm., the emotionless eyes of his mask fixed on his son's flickering form.

"Yes master." Said Luke. "I will be down there immediately.

Luke shut off the HoloComm., wondering what kind of _job _Vader had in mind for him. _What kind of atrocities will he make me commit, _Luke thought as he exited his chambers and walked quickly to the elevator. He knew better than to keep Lord Vader waiting. _Torturing prisoners?_ Luke shuddered, however, as he thought about it as the elevator descended, the more he realized the idea didn't bother him as much as it should. He wasn't exactly looking forward to the prospect, but he didn't find himself terribly opposed to the idea either. Luke knew very well how he should feel: as a Jedi, the very idea should appall him and he would do everything in his power to make certain it never happened. _But I don't feel like that, _concluded Luke, quickly. _Does that mean I am no longer a Jedi? Does that make me Sith? _These thoughts spun around in Luke's head, becoming entangled and confused until he could barely tell one from the other.

Luke glanced over at the counter on the elevator. It was falling rapidly and the lower the number on it got, the worse Luke felt. The journey down to the detention level felt like it took hours and when the cold, metal doors slid open suddenly, Luke started. Shaking his head and clearing his thoughts, he strode as calmly as he could out into the corridor and made his way to a large set of double doors, in front of which stood Darth Vader.

"Follow me." Commanded Vader, upon seeing Luke approaching. He walked through the doors with great strides and continued along the corridor until it opened out into a very large room. Along two walls were a set of consoles, all attended by Imperials, furiously tapping away at keyboards or watching the monitors mounted on the walls above the consoles. Along the third wall, the one that had the doorway Vader and Luke entered through in it, were a lot of brutal looking instruments of torture. They lined the wall in rows with some kind of illumination behind them so that they cast long, dark shadows across the room. Luke did his best to ignore them. In the fourth wall of the room was a another doorway which led into a short but wide corridor. On the right side of the corridor, stood five doors with a small window next to each.

"The Empire has recently acquired three new very high profile prisoners." Started Vader. "From the Alliance. We can extract very valuable information from them, such as the location of the Rebel Base."

"But master, I could tell you that." Said Luke, confused. Vader sensed an opportunity to twist his son's mind; turn him further to the dark side.

"No doubt your old friends have reported you to their Alliance and made you a public enemy. The Rebel Base would have been moved in order for the Rebels to protect themselves and rendering your knowledge of its location obsolete."

Luke's stomach sank. Vader was probably right; Leia and Han would have told the Alliance straight away that Luke had defected to the Empire. _That means even if I succeed with my mission, I still won't be welcomed back. I either stay with Vader or I leave and live alone. _Luke wasn't sure which option was worse and he was even more afraid that in the end, he would choose the former of the two possibilities. He knew he was being drawn further and further towards the dark side. Every moment he spent in Vader's company made it worse. He felt like he was swimming in a great expanse of water; the longer Luke stayed there, the more tired his limbs became, the harder it was to stay afloat and the more likely it was that he would slip into the inky blackness below.

"I also want assess your skill with the Force out of combat." Vader continued, satisfied with the emotions of doubt and loneliness he had stirred in Luke.

Luke nodded and began to walk towards the corridor opposite to the one he was standing in, however, Vader caught his arm.

"I have something for you." Said Vader. Though he was sure he had misheard, Luke could almost believe he had caught a slight waver of awkwardness in Vader's deep voice. Out from under his cloak, Vader bought a shiny Light Sabre hilt. "This is one of the Light Sabres I use to train with sometimes." He said. "I think it would be appropriate for you to have a Sith blade of your own to train with so I would like you to have this." With that, Vader pressed the Light Sabre into Luke's hands before turning quickly and striding over to the consoles, looking up at the monitors. "I will be watching the interrogation from here."He added. Luke nodded, attached the new Light Sabre to his belt in the place of his usual one, which he had left in his chambers, and started once again towards the cells.

He could sense with the Force which three out of the five cells were occupied. He stood in front of the sliding door and it opened automatically to allow Luke to enter. Steeling himself, Luke strode into cell.

Leia heard the cell door open and as soon as she did, she stood up from her chair and said, voice raised,

"I don't care who you are, there is no way you are getting any infor... Luke?"


End file.
